Ouroboros
by JJOAS
Summary: Cursed with an unending life, our protagonist gets thrust into a soulless body of Katniss Everdeen. Now armed with magic and new knowledge, Katniss must survive her new life. AU. Slow burn. World building.
1. Prologue

This is an AU Hunger Games world. Suzanne Collins owns The Hunger Games. I only own my version of her characters, the premise, and what happens in this story. Any mentions of magic and anything else recognizably trade marked also don't belong to me.

Prologue

Scattered stars winked and blinked in a sable sky. The frigid air made every breath the dying crone took unbearable.

She wheezed in another pained breath, and rubbed her aching chest. Life and death were tricky things. No one really knew what happened at the very start, or at the very end. At least, that's what she had originally thought back in Life One.

Her ragged breaths echoed around the tiny dingy room.

The decrepit, crumbling abandoned apartment building brought her little relief from the raging elements. A bitter sweet smile tugged at her dry lopsided mouth as hunger gnawed on her bones. She felt the familiar feeling of wasting away. Her bones felt brittle and heavy. Bright spots had started encroaching against her vision yesterday, and it was only getting worse.

Sometimes she idly wondered how she managed to curse herself. Was it the magic bound in her soul looking for something that she continually failed to find? Was it a curse to teach her a lesson? Or did she just piss of a maniacal wizard with a sick sense of humor? In any case, she hated the Cycling.

Another shuddering cough overtook her, as her squinty brown eyes prickled with fat tears. She wiped away blood that splattered out of her mouth during another coughing fit against her almost skeletal forearm. There was no food in this abandoned relic of a place either.

She idly wondered, in her dimming vision, if she could have another shot at trying again. Or would she finally die for good this time? If not, would the next one start at the beginning? Would she take some poor person's fully grown body like back in Life Five, Seven, and Fourteen? Would she even be human again? She'd lived life as a sentient tree once. It had been wonderfully peaceful. Would she still have magic? All these questions and more swirled around her darkening mind.

Her last thought in this life was that living and dying again and again sucked.

0=0=0=0=0=0

Her first breaths in her new life came out as gasps as she bolted awake. Her tanned olive skin was sweat soaked, and felt slick and sticky even as the cold air embraced her from the cracks in the wall.

Dim light streamed through cracked panes of glass that caressed the outlines of two slumbering people across from her.

The burning in her new body fogged up her already groggy mind as she tried to grasp what this body could remember. Blearily, she got up from the threadbare bed as her body automatically trudged along to a tiny room off to the side.

She relieved herself on a tiny tin toilet and let out a startled gasp when it flushed. Her eyes widened as she finished up and rinsed her hands with ice water at a cracked bathroom sink. She stretched towards the rusty mirror and patted her face.

She made faces at herself and pinched her new face this way and that, "So this is the new me, huh?"

Clear grey eyes stared back at her as she tugged on a long strand of straight black hair. She looked vaguely Asian with a mix of Caucasian this time around.

She smiled and found that she had tiny dimples. Baring her teeth at her reflection, revealed straight teeth and healthy gums. At the sight of that, she closed her mouth and nodded, 'Good teeth this time.'

Looking under her moth eaten shirt dress, she found that this body was exceedingly young. Maybe 10 or 11 give or take. Malnourished, but otherwise more or less intact. She was happy to have all her limbs in this life.

The burning feeling inside of her seemed to be receding as her magic unbound itself from its previous shackles. Her mind searched around this body's brain for any information as she quietly snuck back into the other room.

The room felt chilly and she figured that it was probably winter here. It had been summer when she had last died. Shuffling back onto the cold lumpy mattress, she slid under a rough canvas blanket and let her mind process everything. From what this body could remember, she had hidden a bad fever away from her mother and little sister.

Her little sister's name was Primrose. Hmm...That rang a bell somewhere in the back of her mind, but she shushed it. She didn't recall too much right now, minus her skills and deaths from each past Life Cycle, so she dismissed it.

She searched her mind some more, and found a floodgate of information left around from its' last occupant. It was always lucky when that happened since, most of the time, her new reincarnated bodies tended to wipe themselves before she got into them. There were glitches like this one now and then though.

'Okay... My name is now Katniss Everdeen. I am somewhere in a place called Panem. There are 'Hunger Games' here. Games that kill people between the ages of twelve and eighteen at the start of every year, for some reason. The year is 2169 and I am eleven years old.

My home is District 12. We are starving. My father died three months ago and the money for his death has long since dried up. I ended up with a fatal fever when I tried to fish in a nearby lake as a desperate attempt for food. That Katniss died without catching any fish. We're getting frail with only mint tea and wild greens to sustain us now.

Mother won't do anything but lie huddled under the blankets on her bed, eyes unfocused and lost. No amount of pleading from either of us has worked on her.

I've had to act as both mother and father to Prim with mother broken. And I'm supposed to go and sell Prim's baby clothes today...' Katniss's thoughts trailed off as she slowly accepted her new lot in life. Information kept trickling into her mind like water from a sieve.

The other Katniss had done her best to act as a proper guardian for Prim. Otherwise the district Peacekeepers would have taken them away from their despondent mother, and would have placed them into the community home.

Katniss recalled the sadness, the marks of angry hands on their faces, and the hopelessness that curled their bony shoulders forward. She'd never let that happen to Prim, and this new version of Katniss silently vowed to never let anything bad happen to Prim either. She looked too much like her sweet little daughter Mabel from a previous life.

She tried to shake that thought away.

Sweet tiny Mabel who cried when her mother had cried before she even knew the reason.

Sweet little Prim, who brushed and plaited their mother's hair before they left for school. Prim, who still polished their father's shaving mirror each night because he'd hated the layer of coal dust that settled on everything in the Seam. The community home would crush her like a bug.

Mabel and Prim's faces melded together, and her resolve cemented in her heart. She'd figure out a way to get food today or die trying. There was just no other way around it. May 8th was just too far away. They'd die if they waited. It wasn't like she could rely on their mother to provide for them.

The swell of resentment when recognition flared at the sight of this body's mother, stunned her when it had initially happened. The flood of information that happened afterwards, explained it, but the bubble of resentment in this body deflated when she recalled her past lives. Love like that, love that ripped you in tiny jagged pieces when your other half died, that she could keenly understand.

She couldn't let the exasperation of it all go, though. This body's mother should've been stronger. You had to be a special kind of strong to withstand losing your spouse, and Katniss's mother proved that she didn't have that kind of steel in her.

She had learned back in Life 3 that adaptation was the key to survival, so she would take on this body and life as her own, like she did every time this happened to her.

She took a deep breath and looked out past the broken panes of glass that clung onto their window frame and saw that it was still early in the morning. The Hob was open almost twenty-four hours a day though, so they would be the first stop to try and sell Prim's baby clothes. Skipping another day of school wouldn't kill them.

Neither girl had gone to school in the last two weeks while they had tried to sustain themselves on mint tea and meager wild greens. It wasn't like the Capitol to take interest in two Seam girls not showing up to school for weeks at at time anyways. Usually, it was because of teen pregnancy, but that was neither here nor there.

They only really cared to look if you didn't seem to have parents because then you were easier to reap. The community home always had the most tesserae. They made all the orphans there sign up for triple or sometimes quadruple the tesserae each because they never seemed to have enough at the community home. It wasn't like it was exactly a well funded place either.

Tesserae were offered to each child between the ages of twelve and eighteen once a year throughout Panem. A single tessera was worth one years supply of grain and oil for one person, collected on a monthly basis. They'd give you one for free in the poorer districts like in District 10, 11, and 12, but if you needed more grain and oil than they gave you, and most people did, you'd have to sign up for more. Each time you signed up for extra, your name would be added to the reaping balls for every tessera claimed that year. And it wasn't like it was a one shot thing either. It was insidious because it was cumulative.

Katniss shook off her dreary line of thinking before deftly braiding her hair. She quickly and quietly pulled out the small bundle that was hidden under her bed before slipping into her threadbare clothes and leather boots.

Her father's old hunting jacket dwarfed her small frame, but it brought her warmth that she sorely needed. She knew that she needed to find some sort of substantial nourishment if she wanted to use her magic and survive this hard new life.

Katniss trudged through the frost bitten ground as the early morning sun hid behind the mountains. Dark clouds loomed on the horizon coloring everything a bright grey. It would probably rain today.

Miners with hunched shoulders, swollen knuckles, broken nails, and sunken faces trekked towards their destination. They morosely marched on as their families waved goodbye from dirty dilapidated porches. This part of District 12 where she lived was nicknamed the Seam; the ghetto of this district for all intents and purposes.

Her new home was at the edge of the Seam and quite close to a scruffy field called the Meadow. Separating the Meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all of District 12, was a high chain-link fence topped with barbed-wire loops. She recalled that it was supposed to be electrified twenty-four hours a day as a deterrent to the predators that lived in the woods - packs of wild dogs, lone cougars, bears, etc. - that could threaten the district. However, since two or three hours of electricity in the evenings every other month was considered lucky, it was usually turned off.

She shook those thoughts away as she concentrated on what she was supposed to be doing.

The Hob was where they got everything that they couldn't get from the Merchant district. Which was quite a lot of things when you thought about what was banned for sale in this district. It operated in and around an abandoned warehouse that once held coal.

When the Capitol came up with a more efficient system that transported the coal directly from the mines to the trains, the Hob gradually took over the space. Being the least prestigious, poorest, and most ridiculed district in the country had its advantages. The Capitol largely ignored all the illegal activity, as long as their district produced their coal quotas.

It was frightening to enter the Hob without her father by her side, but people had respected him and liked her. Besides, they recognized her and accepted her as a fellow trader. She'd been hunting and trading along with her father since she was six, and had only recently stopped after his death.

She went from Hob merchant to Hob merchant, looks of pity colored their faces as they all said that they didn't need any baby clothes to use or sell. Katniss left the Hob hours later, frustration making her eyes water as she tried the Merchant market.

She knocked on the nicer Merchant's back doors first; the Butcher, the Grocer, and the Cobbler had known her dad and mother from before, and were always kind to her. When that hadn't worked, she dared go to the ones that weren't so favorable towards her. The Baker was nice, but his witch of a wife made her decide to try that place last.

Both the Apothecary and the Tailor shooed her away with as much discretion as they could when they saw her. She sometimes wondered if her maternal uncle, the Apothecary owner, ever recalled that he had a sister and nieces. She doubted that he ever lost sleep over the fact that they were starving.

Rain started spitting down from the darkening sky, making her already frustrating afternoon worse. She trudged towards the back of the bakery, the cold wind and icy sheets of rain making her shiver.

The smell of fresh baked bread overwhelmed Katniss and made her feel dizzy with the faint promise of sustenance. The ovens were in the back of the bakery, and a golden glow spilled out of the open kitchen door.

She stood stock still, mesmerized by the heat and the scrumptious scent until the rain ran its icy fingers down her back, and jolted her back to life. Before she could make it past an old chestnut tree, she stumbled over a gnarled root and gasped as Prim's formerly clean threadbare baby clothes dropped into a nearby mud puddle.

She stared at the sodden baby clothes before turning and contemplatively staring at the trash bins. All forms of stealing were forbidden in District 12. Punishable by death. 'They wouldn't care about trash though, right?' Katniss hazarded a guess.

She decided that she'd just have to risk stealing trash. She'd eaten out of trash bins before in a previous Life, and it looked like it might have to be the case again. She lifted the lid to the baker's trash bin and found it spotlessly, heartlessly bare.

Suddenly a voice screamed at Katniss, jostling her out of her new despair.

She looked up and spotted the baker's squat furious wife, "MOVE ON! Do you want me to call the Peacekeepers, Seam brat!? I am so sick and tired of the likes of you and your ilk pawing through my God damn trash! Shoo! OUT!"

Her words were ugly and stung, but Katniss had no real defense, at least not yet. Without sustenance and without magic, she had no defense at all. As Katniss carefully replaced the lid and backed away, she noticed a boy with blond hair and brilliant blue eyes peer out from behind his mother's back.

Katniss recalled that they'd been going to school together since they were five. She knew that he was in her year, but she didn't quite remember his name. He stuck with the town kids, so it wasn't like she ever had a chance to get to know him better.

Everyone in District 12 knew that the baker's wife beat them though, it was one of the worst kept secrets around. His mother stormed back into the bakery, grumbling to herself. Katniss skulked behind the pen that held the bakery's pig and leaned against the far side of an old apple tree. The blond boy continued to watch her, an unreadable look stuck on his face.

Cold realization hit her hard. She'd have nothing to take home now. Her knees buckled and she slowly slid down the slick tree trunk onto to its damp roots. It was just all too much for her.

This new body was too sick and weak and tired, oh, so tired. Even with the little magic swirling in her, she could still feel the pangs of desperate hunger rolling inside. It was too reminiscent of the way that she had starved to death before.

'Let them call the Peacekeepers and take us to the community home', Katniss sullenly thought, as her heart felt like it would crack in two.

Tears gathered in her eyes, 'Or better yet, let me die again right here in the rain. God damn it.'

There was a clatter in the bakery, and she heard the woman scream again along with the sound of a blow. She scrubbed her tears away, and vaguely wondered what was going on.

Feet sloshed towards her through the mud and Katniss thought with dread, 'It's her. She's coming to drive me away with a rolling pin.'

She looked up mournfully, and found that it wasn't her. It was the boy. In his arms he carried two large loaves of bread, bread that must have fallen into the fire because the crusts were scorched black.

His mother shrieked out of the kitchen doorway, "Peeta Mellark, feed it to the pig, you stupid creature! No one decent will buy burnt bread!"

He tore off small chunks from the burnt parts and tossed them into the trough, as the front bakery bell rang while his mother disappeared to help a customer.

'Peeta's a nice name', Katniss idly thought as she continued to stare at him. She noted that he was sort of cute, in her despair ridden haze.

He never glanced her way, but Katniss couldn't help but keep watching him. Because of the bread and because of the red welt that stood out on his cheekbone.

Katniss frowned, 'What had his mother hit him with this time?' She couldn't fathom it. Her parents had never hit them. Not like that. Never like that.

Peeta took one look back at the bakery, as if checking if the coast was clear, then with his attention back on the pig, threw a loaf of bread towards Katniss. The second quickly followed, and Peeta hurriedly sloshed back into the bakery. He closed the kitchen door tightly behind him with nary a glance back at her.

Katniss stared at the hot burnt loaves on her lap in disbelief. They were fine, perfect really, except for the burnt parts. She glanced back up at the bakery with a small frown furrowing her brow, 'Did he mean for me to have them? He must have.'

Before anyone could witness what had happened, she gingerly got up, shoved the loaves up under her shirt, wrapped the hunting jacket tightly about her, and swiftly hurried away. She darted and snatched the sodden baby clothes out of the mud puddle on her way towards the Seam. The heat of the bread burnt her skin, but she clutched it tighter, clinging to life. She refused to die before she reached her twelfth birthday. She hated dying young.

0=0=0=0=0=0

By the time she reached home, the loaves had cooled somewhat, but the insides were still warm. Katniss gathered her mother and Prim out of their tiny drafty bedroom and into the kitchen.

When she dropped the loaves onto the creaky kitchen table, Prim's hands darted over to tear off a chunk, but Katniss made her sit down at the kitchen table along with their mother. Katniss shook as she made them fresh mint tea and scraped off the black burnt bits before she sliced the bread.

They hadn't had real food in months. The sight of the bread seemed to stir something in her mother. She roused herself as they ate an entire loaf, slice by slice. It was good hearty bread, filled with nuts and raisins. The mint tea tasted so much better with food to go along with it.

Katniss put her clothes to dry by the fire, and crawled into bed. Her magic thrummed underneath her skin and she knew that she could make a real change with their lives as long as she could help them all survive. She just had to think of some way.

It was so much harder to conjure something from nothing when she had no energy. Permanently transfiguring one thing into something else was a craft she'd always been good at. Plus it only took a little energy. Or multiplying stuff. She pondered about what she could do, magic wise, to alleviate their possible demises via starvation as she fell into a dreamless sleep.

It didn't occur to her until the next morning that Peeta might have burnt the bread on purpose. As she took a quick icy shower she wondered, 'Could he have dropped the loaves into the flames, knowing it meant being punished, and then delivered them to me?'

She shook that thought off as she went about her morning ritual before school, 'It must have been an accident. Why else would he have done it? He doesn't even really know me. I'm just some random classmate to him... Right? Still, just throwing me the bread was an enormous kindness that would have surely resulted in another beating if he was discovered. So, why would he do it?'

She finished helping Prim braid her hair before her mother did her hair for once. It seemed as though the life giving bread had brought their mother back into focus. She sliced their last loaf of bread up for breakfast and ate quietly with them while Katniss kept thinking about Peeta and his life saving actions.

The two sisters headed off to school. On their way there, Katniss took in a deep breath and felt as though spring had come overnight. The air felt warm and tasted sweet. The clouds seemed fluffy instead of ominous.

She just felt a whole lot better. Much less at the brink of death. Food really did wonders. That and human kindness. Peeta didn't know it, but he had permanently etched a place for himself on her heart.

At school, she passed by Peeta in the hallway, and noted that his cheek had swollen up and his eye had blackened. He was with his friends at the time and didn't acknowledge her in any way. But as she collected Prim and started for home that afternoon, Katniss found him staring at her from across the school yard.

Their eyes met, and Katniss couldn't stop the beaming smile that blossomed onto her face. He stared at her for only a second before he flushed and turned his head away, a sheepish grin tugging at his lips. Her face felt hot as she dropped her gaze, embarrassed, and that's when she saw it.

The first dandelion of the year. Hope. She plucked it carefully and hurried home.

A bell went off in Katniss's head. She recalled the hours spent in the woods with her father, and instantly knew how they were going to survive.

Katniss decided she'd do her idea first before she'd figure out someway to thank Peeta. Just like in her last lives, she hated feeling like she owed someone something. That and the prevalent thought that he was cute, still persisted in her mind, even as she tried to squash that thought down.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

She dropped Prim off at their house and found that their mother had gone off to help one of their many neighbors give birth. At least that's what the note on the table had said.

Katniss instructed Prim to behave before explaining her crazy idea about going off into the woods to hunt and gather food. Not everyone could pay their mother with money or food, and favors couldn't really sustain them.

Prim hesitantly nodded, and wished her luck on her endeavor. She mentioned needing to find a kitten that she had noticed yesterday hiding behind their house.

Assured that Prim would be alright on her own adventure, and that their mother was actually functioning for once, she pulled out her father's old hunting jacket from their bare storage cupboard and pulled it on. It used to be filled with snacks and locked up to be kept away from their impulsiveness since snacks were a treat, but that rule died with their father. This didn't really matter though, not with the plan that was churning away in Katniss's mind.

With more sustenance, she could actually use stronger more complicated magic. With both things combined, she knew that her plan would go off without a hitch. At least she hoped so.

Katniss slipped on her leather boots and slung her father's old leather satchel on before snatching the fountain pen off of the kitchen table. She scratched in some runes onto the inner leather compartment of the bag making it feel feather light, and snapped her fingers to add an undetectable extension charm and a stasis charm. She felt a little light headed with that small use of magic, and that just confirmed that she definitely needed more sustenance to do what she wanted to do.

Katniss grabbed a corked glass bottle and stowed it away into the leather satchel, before finding and kissing Prim's forehead, and rushing out towards the Merchant square.

She swung by the Merchant square fountain and filled her bottle with ice cold water before she headed back towards the Meadow. District 12's water pipes and sewage system had been repaired from the blast months ago, but the water that came up from their pipes still tasted off even when they boiled it. She didn't want to risk getting sick right now.

She took a moment to carefully listen for the hum of electricity when she reached the fence. Right now, it was as silent as a stone. Concealed by a clump of bushes, she flattened out onto her belly and slid under a two-foot stretch that had been loose for years. There were several other weak spots in the fence, but this one was so close to home that she almost always entered the woods from here. Electrified or not, the fence had been successful in keeping flesh-eaters out of District 12.

She was determined to feed them. She scurried deeper into the Meadow and made her way towards a hollow log where her father had hidden his hunting and fishing equipment along with her mother's apothecary book. The Katniss of Before had forgotten about them in her haze of starvation.

Katniss managed to find and pick various herbs, wild vegetables, buckets worth of dandelion greens, stems, and flowers, cat tails, and dug up a bunch of potatoes that she knew would be useful. Plants were tricky. Many were edible, but one false mouthful and then you'd be dead.

Munching on a couple wild carrots, Katniss checked and double-checked the plants she harvested with her father's pictures.

The woods would become their savior, just like it had been back when her father was still alive. Inside the woods she and her father had roamed freely. Bears and cats lived deeper in, perhaps disliking the sooty reek of their district. And there were added concerns about venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths to follow too, but there was always food if you knew how to find it.

Her father always knew where and how to find food, and had taught her all that he could before he was blown to bits in a mine explosion. There wasn't even anything left to even bury. Even months later after the accident, Katniss still woke up screaming for him to run. The nightmares weren't as consistent as before, but they still happened now and again.

She silently made her way deeper into the woods, past another person's snares and nets, and ignored them. She knew that there was a possibility of other people hunting in the woods, it was impossible not to. Even though trespassing in the woods was illegal and poaching carried the severest of penalties; a public whipping.

Public whipping's were a rare thing in District 12, although occasionally one occurred. Technically, she and her father could have been whipped on a daily basis, when he was alive. The sole reason being poaching in the woods, except all the officials bought their meat. Besides, the mayor didn't seem to have much taste for such events. Some people still risked it though, especially if they had weapons. But most people weren't bold enough to venture out with just a knife.

Most of the 20 Peacekeepers in District 12 turned a blind eye to the few people that hunted and gathered, because they were just as hungry for fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits as anybody else here was. They were actually among the best customers when it came to the illegal poaching business. However, the idea that someone might be arming the Seam would never have been allowed even if it was just to hunt so they wouldn't all starve to death.

In the fall, a few brave souls always snuck into the edge of woods to harvest large basket fulls of apples amongst the veritable orchard that grew there, but always in sight of the Meadow. They were always close enough to run back to the safety of District 12 if trouble ever arose.

Katniss idly thought as she creeped further into the forest, 'The Merchant butcher had to get her added stores from somewhere, right? Not to mention everyone else in the Hob market...' She kept her grip on her bow, alert and cautious as she moved along the forest floor with a velvet tread.

Katniss's bow was a rarity. It was crafted by her grandfather along with a few others that were kept well hidden in the woods, carefully wrapped up in waterproof covers. Her father could have made good money selling them, but if the officials had found out about them, then he would have been publicly executed for possibly inciting a rebellion.

Her mother's apothecary book would have made them a lot of money too. The pages were made of old parchment and covered in ink drawings of plants. Neat handwritten blocks told their names, where to gather them, when they came in bloom, and their medical uses. Her father had also added other entries to the book. Plants for eating, not healing. Dandelions, pokeweed, wild onions, pines, and etc. It was just as precious as her grandfather's weapons, and Katniss wouldn't dare sell them. It'd be more beneficial in the long run to keep them anyways.

"District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety," Katniss muttered rolling her eyes. She quickly glanced over her shoulder. Even here, even in the middle of nowhere in the secluded woods, she worried that someone might've overheard her. She'd feel safer once she was further into the woods.

When Before-Katniss was younger, she had scared her mother to death. She had the tendency to blurt out her opinions about District 12, about the people who ruled the country, Panem, from the far-off city called the Capitol. Eventually, she understood that this would only lead them into trouble. So she learned to hold her tongue and to turn her features into an indifferent mask so that no one would ever read her thoughts.

She did her work quietly in school. Made only polite small talk in the public Merchant market. Discussed little more than trades in the Hob. Even at home, where Before-Katniss was less pleasant, she avoided discussing tricky topics. Like the reaping, food shortages, or the Hunger Games. Before-Katniss worried that Prim might begin to repeat her words and then where would they be?

She shook off that line of thought, and set up some snares and a couple of nets before venturing further in towards the river. Katniss felt the muscles in her face relax as her pace quickened while she hurried down towards a rushing river. A thicket of black berry bushes protected it from unwanted eyes, and her father had taught her to fish and swim there when the river wasn't rushing so hard.

The sight of the handmade bench her father had made and left there, sitting there as though nothing had happened, brought a watery smile onto her face.

She made sure that she had her father's fishing gear before she set out to drift fish in the river. Within 45 minutes, her luck seemed to have won out with her catch of three large sockeye salmon, and two equally large, large mouth bass. They all seemed to weigh about 5 kg give or take. She was always pretty good about guessing something's weight.

She trudged out of the river and shivered before plopping onto the bench. Katniss stored her catches and her father's equipment into her new bag of holding. She was certain, with magic on her side, that all her father's treasured belongings would be safer on her person now and not in the woods.

The afternoon sun was high in the sky and dried her off in no time. After making sure that she was completely dry, she went along the edge of the river and collected a bunch of drift wood, and as many soapstones as she could find.

The plan that kept clunking in her head, made her giddy with anticipation. She really hoped that it would work.

She climbed up some nearby trees and stole some eggs from nests, and managed to shoot a couple squirrels down from the tree tops. She gathered more plants that sprung up beneath her feet near the river, before she stowed them all away into her satchel. Before she left, she gathered as many black berries as she could, without killing the bushes, and decided that she was more or less done with this area for the day.

Katniss quietly slunk back to her snares as the afternoon sun dipped down in the sky, and found that her luck was still holding. She managed to snare three fat dead rabbits, four live pigeons, and a couple dead squirrels. She made sure that they were safely stowed away before she made her way back towards the Meadow.

Katniss hadn't noticed the hidden snare ahead of her, or the looming figure of a young man that was quietly stalking towards her.

She let out an undignified squawk as she tripped and tumbled onto her butt. She let out a string of quiet curses as she glared at the empty snare.

A shadow covered her suddenly and made her flinch before she realized who it was. A rush of anger and resentment filled her. It was her paternal cousin, Gale. His mother was her father's first cousin.

She'd seen him around the Seam and at school. And one other time. He'd lost his father in the same blast that killed hers, and eight other miners. In January, Katniss had stood by while he received his medal of valor in the Justice Building, another oldest child with no father. She recalled his two little brothers clutching his mother, a woman whose swollen belly announced that she was just days away from giving birth.

'Must be hard to feed that many mouths,' Katniss had thought pityingly. She was glad that she only really had to worry about Prim, her mother, and herself.

That side of the family didn't exactly like them either. Not enough to help them while she and her family had started starving.

She recalled her father explaining why they shunned them. Too Merchant to fit in with the lower class and too Seam to fit in with middle class. It sucked being in limbo just because of your coloring. She had her father's coloring, but her mother's features and Prim had the opposite problem. She tried valiantly to forgive them for her father's sake, but even in this new life, she still wasn't the forgiving type.

Gale glared at her and scoffed, "Little cousin, Cat- Catherine? Cat something. What was your name again?" He scratched his head and retrieved the snare with a disappointed glance.

Katniss shot her cousin a dismayed glare and muttered, "Katniss, and I'm not little." She was tempted to add jackass to the end of her sentence, but she recalled that he was much larger than her and could crush her if he did so wish. He cleared six feet and was as tall as any adult Katniss had seen.

He raised his brow and tilted his head to the side, "Like Catnip? Uncle Aven, sure did love his plant names. And yes, you are little. You're what, three years younger than me? That makes you little."

Katniss grimaced, "Well, it's not like Aunt Hazelle doesn't like her nature names. Gale and Posy are nature names. And also, I'm not. Cause I'm the tallest girl in my class right now, so there."

He snorted, "Yeah, right. Sure, but Rory and Victor aren't nature names. What are you doing here anyways, Catnip? A cougar might eat you."

She shot him a dirty look, "Katniss, not Catnip. I can defend myself against the wild life here, and I'm looking for food. We're starving, although I highly doubt that you hadn't already noticed that by now."

Gale gave her a blase shrug, "Who isn't starving around District 12, Catnip? People keel over from starvation all the time around here." He emphasized her new nickname with a teasing sort of glee. She recalled how he loved to give people nicknames, especially if they pissed people off.

Katniss gingerly got up and brushed off the dirt that clung onto her butt, "Yeah, well...I don't want to join the dozens of the dying, thanks."

"Okay, well... See you around. I gotta go catch up to Thom. If you want any superior hunting and gathering advice, just come to your good ol' cousin Gale," he gave her a rough sort of pat on the shoulder.

It was a strange sort of affection that she'd seen him give to Posy on occasion, so she took the offered olive branch with a touch of hesitancy. Katniss didn't forgive him for not trying to help them earlier when death was surely looming.

She nodded, "Okay. I suppose if you need help too, you know where to find me as well."

His eyes twinkled in that familiar way that her father's had before he died, and her heart constricted. He let out a gruff laugh before walking off, "Sure. Stay safe, little Catnip."

She silently nodded and decided that her older cousin wasn't as much of a jackass as she had initially thought. She'd keep in mind that he and Thom hunted in this area before she decided to quickly continue her trek back towards her house.

0=0=0=0=0=0

The sky was already darkening by the time Katniss made it home. She was surprised to find both her mother and little sister huddled around the world's ugliest kitten propped up on the table.

She made sure that their door was locked up tight before she made her way towards them, still clad in her hunting gear. Prim noticed her first and gave her older sister a beaming grin, "I found the kitten! Please, can we keep him? I swear once he gets better that he'll be a great mouse catcher!"

Her mother nodded, "He's a bit scrawny and swollen with worms. Plus, he's crawling with fleas, but we should have him cleaned up in a couple days. It would be nice to not get spooked by vermin in the house."

Katniss snorted and shrugged as she took a seat at the table, "Okay. Fine."

Prim's eyebrows rose as tears gathered in her eyes, "Really? Just like that? No, 'we don't need an additional mouth to feed, Prim'?"

She wrung her little hands in front of her dress, unsure about the easy way her older sister had given in. The last time she had done this with a wild rabbit, Katniss had drowned and cooked the rabbit for dinner.

Katniss shot her a sardonic smile, "Nope, as long as he's not tracking in worms, fleas or any other sort of parasite, I don't see why not."

It would be easier to feed more mouths with the amount of luck she'd been having. And if her magical plan went off without a hitch, then having a pet wouldn't be troubling at all. In fact, she quickly glanced down at her leather satchel, she was going to add more members to her family herself, so it would've been hypocritical for her to be angry with Prim over this.

Her mother hid a small smile as she took the cat and put him into a quarantined corner of their dilapidated house, "He'll have to stay there while we get rid of his worms and fleas, Prim."

Katniss nodded and added, "You'll have to make sure to heal him yourself, little duck. He'll be you're responsibility. Can you do that?"

Prim eagerly nodded before she wiped away her tears, and beamed up at the two women in front of her. She rushed over and gave them both bone cracking hugs. Squished together, both Katniss and her mother shared a fond look towards Prim before returning her embrace.

Katniss tilted her head before she spotted a small bag of wheat flour and a loaf of bread on the table, "How'd that happen?"

Her mother pulled out of their embrace and gestured to the treasures that she had managed to acquire on the table, "The wheat flour is from Mr. O'healey. You know, the one who has that secret crop of wheat behind his house. He lives a couple houses away from us. We got that from him because I helped deliver two healthy twins, and Mrs. O'healey didn't die. While I was wallowing and stuck in my head..."

She drifted off before clearing her throat and giving us a remorseful look, "A lot of people suffered and died because I was being selfish and stupid. I am so sorry girls. A big part of me died when your father did, but that's no excuse for not taking care of you both and everyone else that relied on me."

She roughly rubbed the heel of her hand on her forehead as she sat down onto one of the rickety kitchen chairs. Guilt and disappointment in herself was clearly awash on her face.

Katniss frowned. One half of her wanted to agree and push the sword of disappointment further into her mother, to make her hurt almost as much as they did. The other newer half of her understood her mother's pain. People were stupid and selfish all the time, but they didn't always get and up to try and fix it. And sometimes things happened to people, and they weren't equipped to deal it.

Still Katniss was wary. A small gnarled place inside her hated her mother for her weakness, for her neglect, for the months she had put them through. It would take a while for Katniss to ever really trust her again.

Katniss sat down at the kitchen table with her mother along with Prim, and both of them took their mother's hands.

Prim shot her a watery smile, "It's okay. We're okay now." She was clearly thrilled to have their mother back and had easily forgiven her for the wrongs she had committed against them.

Katniss slowly nodded, a thoughtful look present on her face, "I can't say that I wasn't mad at you for what you did, but it doesn't mean we don't love you any less. It'll just take a while to you know..."

She shrugged helplessly as she looked away from her mother's tired face. She was a bit better at talking now, but some habits were harder to break than others. This body was still better at actions rather than words, and it would take a while for her to break that.

Her mother nodded, "I know. I know. .. The raisin and nut bread was from Mr. Mellark. He gave it to me after I whipped up some willow bark tea for his son Peeta. That witch of a mother of his, beat him again. The tea will help with the pain, and he thought that was enough of a reason to pay me with some bread."

Prim's face crumbled into a deep frown, "I'm glad we have something to eat to night, but I don't know why she keeps doing that to them..."

A heavy flush appeared onto Katniss's face as she murmured, "I hope he's okay."

'It was all because of me,' Katniss thought, guilt eating away at her. She pushed it away and decided that now was the best time to bring up phase one of her plan. She'd make it up to Peeta somehow, but not right now.

She cleared her throat, "On a happier note, my hunt went well."

Both Prim and her mother looked around and frowned. Prim tilted her head, "What do you mean? I don't see any game on you or wild greens. You only have dad's little leather satchel on you."

Her mother gave her a sad smile, "Prim does have a point, Katniss."

A nervous grin pulled onto her lips as she began to bite her nails automatically before she laid the aforementioned leather satchel onto the table, "Ah. You're both right, and wrong. I think it would better if I just showed you."

She opened up the satchel and she pulled out various bundles of wild herbs, bunches of different wild vegetables, bucket fulls of dandelions, a dozen cat tails, three large sockeye salmon, two equally large, large mouth bass, a large bundle of drift wood, a large amount of soapstones, a couple bird's eggs, a basket full worth of black berries, three fat dead rabbits, four live frozen pigeons, and a six dead squirrels.

Prim and her mother sat there and rapidly blinked before they each gasped in wonderment. Prim was the first one to move towards Katniss's large haul, "How are they...how did they? How did you? They're still fresh, but you were out for hours in the woods..."

Her mother gently took the satchel and peered into it before she inspected the outside of it carefully, "How intriguing. How did you do this, Katniss?"

Prim suddenly bounced in her seat before she leaned in and whispered, "Is this magic? Like in dad's old fairy tale stories?"

A sheepish tentative smile pulled at Katniss's lips, "Yeah. Basically. I can do magic now. I'm not too sure how it really happened, but I found that as long as I have sustenance and wish for it hard enough. I can do things to things. Like here. Watch."

What was she had said was the truth, in her first Cycle of Lives she didn't have magic and then she had a Life Cycle wherein she did, and it stuck with her soul ever since.

She popped some wild black berries into her mouth before she waved her hand over the four live frozen pigeons on their kitchen table. As she waved her hand over them, her brow furrowed while sweat began to gather onto her forehead.

They shimmered and their forms contorted before they suddenly popped into four white Sussex hens. She unfroze them and they clucked and hopped down from off the table and proceeded to wander around their house.

Prim squealed in delight, "That. Was. Amazing! Aww, I always wanted chickens." She hurried off of her seat and went after the chickens. The birds didn't seem to mind her as they huddled together and clucked at one another.

Her mother blinked and gaped at what she had just seen before she put her hand onto her forehead, "Well...life is certainly very different now that I'm awake..."

She gave her daughter a bewildered smile before gently kissing her forehead, "I need to lie down now. I'll join you girls for dinner in a little bit. This is a lot to process." Her mother disappeared into their tiny drafty bedroom, and gently shut the door behind her.

Katniss wordlessly nodded before she watched in slight bemusement as her sister fawned over their new chickens and her new kitten. Prim loved animals and had always wanted one even before she could toddle.

She got up and put away the haul that she had recently acquired back into her bag of holding. The stasis charm inside of the bag would keep everything fresh until she could go through part two of her master plan. Katniss left out one salmon on the kitchen table. It took a while, but she managed to skin, de-bone, filleted and season the fish before she moved onto boiling the cattails on their tiny kitchenette.

The river drift wood fueled their stove, and filled their house with a wonderful burning scent as she continued to fry the fish and finished cooking up the cattails. Dinner would be a veritable feast tonight in comparison to all their recent meals.

Prim stopped cooing over the new members of their family and popped up beside her sister, "Do you want some help, Katniss?"

Katniss looked up from what she was cooking and gave Prim a small sweet smile, "Sure. Could you set up the table while I finish frying up the fish?" Her stomach grumbled as the delectable smell of fried salmon wafted up and around her.

When Katniss turned back towards what she was cooking, Prim shot her a surprised look. Her sister was much happier, much more relaxed, and so open right now that it was shocking, but in a good way. Prim decided not to ask about Katniss's sudden change and happily did her aforementioned task.

Their mother came out of their bedroom with a bewildered look on her face as she spotted the wandering chickens, the freshly fried salmon, cooked cattails, and her daughters waiting for her at the table. It dawned on her that this was all real, and that she wasn't trapped in another one of her episodes.

Her eyes watered at the thought of how happy her husband would have been had he seen all this before... Tears sprung up into her eyes as that thought trailed away.

She wiped away tears that had escaped her eyes before giving both of her girls a warm soft smile, "Thank you, girls. This all looks delicious."

Prim beamed and shook her head, "It was Katniss that cooked all of this, mom. I just set up the table."

Katniss rolled her eyes and shot Prim a silly smile, "I still appreciate that you helped, little duck."

Prim blushed and dug into her food, a happy smile stuck on her face, "Quack, quack."

Her mother let out a happy little sigh as she began to eat their dinner.

Katniss hummed happily while she ate as well. It was wonderful to be able to eat this much, and she knew that it was very important for her to have enough strength in order for her to do what she needed to do next.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

While her little sister and her mother slept, Katniss sat up in her bed and silently watched them.

Prim deeply breathed in and out, curled up on her side cocooned by their mother's body. Their cheeks pressed together while they slept. In their slumber, Katniss noted that her mother looked younger, worn but not so beaten-down. Prim's face was as fresh as a raindrop, and as lovely as a primrose.

Making doubly sure that her family was actually deeply sleeping, Katniss quietly crept away from her bed and into the kitchen.

She pulled out a bundle of drift wood and four soapstones from her leather satchel before she settled down onto one of their kitchen chairs. She started to whittle the soapstones into different shapes, but made sure to carve the same protection rune sequence into the back of each of them.

This all took about an hour, but when Katniss was just about done, she carved out a small hole for a necklace to go through each amulet. She had made a little duck for Prim, an Aven flower for her mother; so she would have father close to her heart, a dandelion for Peeta, and a mockingjay for her. She recalled her father bestowing that nickname onto her before he had died.

Katniss shook her head to shake off that thought. She hadn't had time to properly grieve and she kept forgetting that it was Before-Katniss's father and not hers. Her mind was melding far too easily with this body.

She sighed and continued examining the amulets that she had just finished. All that she needed now, were either four leather strips, or four necklace chains. Either way she would need to hunt something big enough so she could get what she needed. She still wasn't sure what money looked like around here, and she didn't want to conjure up junk that she couldn't use.

With that task done, she began to focus on turning each piece of drift wood into a white picket for the fence that she had in mind to put around their house. She figured with this much energy from what she had consumed at dinner, and the realization that sleep also helped, she would be able to transfigure the whole house in no time.

She looked at the ancient ticking clock that hung on their wall and sighed. It was already two in the morning and school started up at eight. She stretched out and decided to leave what she had done on the table. Four dozen pieces of white pickets with repelling and protection runes sat on top of the kitchen table while a small group of carved soapstone amulets sat beside them.

Katniss spotted the chickens snoozing by Prim's, still unnamed, kitten before she trudged off to bed. She could finish off her projects later. As she drifted off into sleep on her lumpy mattress under her coarse thin blanket, Katniss smiled despite it all because she knew that it wasn't forever.

0=0=0=0=0=0

The morning sun streamed through the broken window pane near Katniss's head. It warmed her eyes enough to rouse her, and as she did she was bewildered at what she breathed in. She smelled toasted bread, frying eggs, and something else in the air. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and squinted against the morning daylight.

Prim sat up in her mother's bed across from her and blinked in confusion.

Before they could voice out their mutual bafflement, their mother cheerily popped her head into room and beamed at her two drowsy daughters, "The chickens laid some eggs, so I fried some. I also toasted the bread from yesterday and cooked up some of the katniss tubers from your father's leather satchel. I couldn't find the other food from your haul yesterday, so I figured that it was all still in the magic bag. I was right, and I found the tubers. I ended up putting the eggs that I didn't use in there. It would go to waste in our fridge since it isn't really cold enough for any ice to come through our district to keep it from going bad."

It seemed as though their mother had finally returned to them from the brink of the abyss. She could see that her mother was trying so hard to be her past self. It was a little painful to watch.

Katniss sat up and stared at her mother as though someone else had replaced her. She chuckled inwardly at that thought, 'I'm the one who actually replaced someone here, so I really shouldn't be one to judge.'

Prim goggled at her mother before a great big beaming smile lit up her face, "That's great mom!"

Not one to be outdone, Katniss grunted in agreement before she got up to get ready for the day, "Thanks, mom."

The two girls started up their morning routines before school, and just as their mother was about to mention something, a knock could be heard from the door. Katniss narrowed her eyes and shot the door a suspicions look. 'Had their neighbors smelt the food?' Katniss bit her nails.

Prim ignored it all and swiftly stole the bathroom first.

Her mother tsked at Katniss when she started to nervously bite her nails. Katniss was about to begin pacing, but before she could, her mother steered her towards the kitchen table. Around their combined kitchen living space, Prim's kitten lounged in the corner while their four unnamed chickens pecked at a bowl of wild black berries.

She was surprised at how well her mother was taking the whole magic thing. The last time she'd been a child with magic, she'd been violently burned at the stake. She didn't miss that Life Cycle.

Katniss plopped herself down onto one of the nearby kitchen chairs, and noted that the stuff that she'd been working on still lay where she had left it. She dragged over some eggs, katniss tubers, and toast towards her and idly noted that they'd probably be out of oil for the rest of the month if they didn't somehow obtain some more.

Her mother's hushed words almost reached her ears as she just about inhaled her breakfast. She wasn't used to eating this well, and had to practice slowing down while she ate. Prim poked her in the shoulder, surprising her from moving closer to hear what her mother might be saying to the stranger at the door.

Prim motioned towards the bathroom with her head as she sat down, "Your turn, Katniss." Grinning at her older sister before she too, dug into breakfast, Katniss decided to not eavesdrop on their mother.

They'd figure out who it was eventually. After all there were only seven healers in District 12, and that wasn't including Prim since she hadn't finished learning all the basics as of yet. Although, if you really thought about it, that was probably one of the many reasons as to why so many people died every year around here.

The three fancy doctors that lived in the Justice Building for all the Capitol stooges didn't look after the main populace of District 12. The one fancy doctor that did, only permitted seeing the miners and no one else. Instead they had self trained healers, and her mother and her other neighbor were really more like midwives than general healers when she really thought about it. It was no wonder that so many people in her district died every year.

She shook her head while these thoughts swirled in her mind during her quick icy shower. At this point Katniss had given up hope that their hot water would ever work again. The Capitol only really cared about a chunk of them surviving; they had no compassion for any lack of comfort people had in this district.

After quickly drying and dressing herself, she found her mother finishing off Prim's braided pigtails before she motioned for her to come and sit down in front of her.

Katniss noticed that Prim's blouse was pulled out of her skirt in the back again. She rolled her eyes good naturedly and cleared her throat, "Tuck your tail in, little duck."

Prim looked over her shoulder and found that indeed was the case. She giggled, "Quack."

"Quack yourself," Katniss lightly laughed as Prim tucked in her blouse and righted her skirt.

She happily went over to check on her kitten and announced over her shoulder as Katniss sat down, "I'm going to name him Buttercup because his yellow coat looks exactly like the same shade as the flower."

Katniss couldn't help but snort while her mother braided her hair, "He looks more like mustard than a buttercup, Prim."

Katniss made sure to gather up the soapstone amulets into her pants pockets while her mother finished doing her hair. Although if she were being honest, the kitten's mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, and eyes the color of a rotting squash made him look really tough for a fucked up cat. She supposed that, eventually in the far future, she'd have more affection for him, but right now she only tolerated the cat because Prim loved it so much.

Prim huffed and shook her head, "That's not true, it's just the fact that the light in here is muted, and that's what's making his fur look muddy."

She gently patted his little head as he rolled around his little corner. Before Katniss could insert how unsuited that name was, Prim continued on, "I have also decided to name the hens. That one is named Maribel, that one over there is Henrietta, this one is Cheryl, and lastly that's Debbie. Debbie is the one with the attitude."

Katniss raised her brow and let out a guffaw, "Those are great names, little duck."

Her mother chuckled and blew Prim a kiss, "I'm sure that the hens love their new names, sweetheart."

Prim proudly nodded, a small smile gracing her lips, "We should head to school. I wanna get it over with as fast as I can so I can play with the animals when we get home."

Prim's enthusiasm warmed Katniss's heart as she nodded and made sure that they had their bagged lunches. Their mother bade them farewell before she too left the house after making sure that the animals all had food and water for the day.

She tided up and double checked that the doors and windows were secure enough to keep them all inside, before she left to go attend to another patient. Life and death stopped for no one, especially not for anyone with patients. She'd do better to remember that this time.

0=0=0=0=0=0

School was normal, every lesson was related to coal with a touch of basic reading, arithmetic, and the weekly lecture on the history of Panem.

Katniss noted that it was mostly blather about what everyone owed the Capitol's elite one percent rather than the actual account of the Dark Days that lead to this dystopian future. She internally bet that it had something to do with a World War something or another. That, or some sort of unnamed calamity had happened. Something that radically changed this world. She couldn't really decide on either with the paltry information that she could find at school.

The only additional information that she found of any note were scribbled notes in random textbooks. Notation that looked weathered and faded. It was how she found out that Panem had actually been taken over by several different dictators over the years.

Each dictator always enacted the Hunger Games for one reason or another. Each always taking on the moniker 'President Snow'. And children were always sacrificed for some bullshit reason. This government dictatorship appeared to be composed of the elite 1% who claimed that the children sacrificed would stop the country from losing more chunks of land to the ocean. It all seemed like hogwash.

She did some more digging. Katniss found that this school severely lacked the subjects that she had encountered learning about in her last lives. There wasn't any biology, sex ed, chemistry, geology, and the like. They didn't learn about cooking, sewing, or doing anything else sort of handy either. Additionally, their library was only filled with information about mining and Capitol propaganda.

Besides that, there was only one school for everybody from ages five to eighteen, and then that was it. There were no other dedicated places to the pursuit of higher learning. Not even for any trades. It was both depressing and distressing to find out.

Katniss figured that the 1% in charge wanted them stupid; stupid and easily killable for their amusement. It seemed like something they would want with the whole Hunger Games thing. That or they were just idiots. Either way, it was a bad deal for everyone who wasn't part of the elite.

Now that she finally had something to eat, she actually had to sit somewhere at lunch. It was odd eating in a cafeteria again. It smelled like stale food, the smell of sticky children, and the strange scent that all old buildings had. It brought back a certain nostalgia that she didn't know how to deal with. It felt both good and bad, and a little strange, so Katniss did her best to ignore it.

She bumped into one of the Before-Katniss's friends; Madge, at lunch. Madge was, apparently, in the same year as her at school.

Being the mayor's daughter, a lot of people expected her to be a snob, but she was alright. She just kept to herself much like the Before-Katniss. Since neither of them really had a group of friends, they seemed to gravitate towards one another a lot at school. Eating lunch, sitting next to each other at assemblies, partnering for sports activities.

They rarely talked, which suited them both just fine, but she did notice Katniss's absence at school. She was probably one of the few people to take note of some 'Seam brat' not showing up for school. It warmed the cockles of Katniss's heart enough to try and have a conversation with her.

She undoubtedly felt awkward, but she pushed through, "Hey, Madge."

Katniss opened up her brown paper bag and found some left over fried salmon, cooked tubers, and wild vegetables wrapped up in lettuce along with a corked glass bottle of water. She smiled. It was nice having a parent again, it made her usually tense shoulders relax one iota.

She warily wondered how long it would last.

Madge shot her a bright grin, "Hello, Katniss. You okay? You weren't at school for a while."

Katniss dug into her food and nodded, before murmuring, "Yeah. M'okay."

She smiled and finished eating her own lunch. It was a short and slightly awkward conversation, but Katniss felt like she really made progress.

She never noticed the shy looks that Peeta had been throwing her during her entire conversation with Madge. Katniss did feel his eyes on her, although she ignored that feeling all the same. She was far too used to the glares of derision from people for being a 'Seam brat' for this feeling to really bother her anymore.

0=0=0=0=0=0

Katniss passed by Peeta in a familiar hallway, and noted that his cheek and eye still looked pretty bad, but he looked like he was in less pain today. He was surrounded by his group of friends again and didn't acknowledge her, yet again, but she was okay with that. She knew that the class divide was even more pronounced at school and didn't really blame him for it. The two sides didn't mix that well in public settings anyways.

As she collected Prim and headed towards the Seam once school had finally ended, Katniss found Peeta leaning on a nearby wall staring at her.

She caught his eyes and shot him a warm smile that lit up her entire face, "Hi Peeta." A slight flush spread across her cheeks, which caused Peeta's eyes to widen.

Prim noted this new interaction and impishly grinned, "Hello, Peeta!"

Peeta in turn blurted out, "Hey, Katniss. Hi Prim." His cheeks darkened as he straightened up.

It seemed like something was about to burst from his lips before Prim decided to announce, "I'm going to head home first. I just can't wait to see Buttercup and the girls." She gave her sister a tight embrace before happily running off.

Katniss did not miss the mischievous twinkle in her eyes before she had taken off. She shook her head and rolled her eyes at her littler sister's antics.

Peeta cleared his throat and nervously scratched at the back of his head. His ashy blond hair shinned gold against the afternoon sunlight, falling in waves over his forehead. Languidly, she noted that his eyes were a much deeper blue up close and that he smelt faintly like baked bread, flour, vanilla, and a musk that she assumed was entirely his own smell.

"Uh, so..." Peeta gulped and let out an awkward laugh.

The smile on Katniss's face refused to leave and only deepened when she realized that he was as nervous around her as she was of him, "So...do you want to walk with me?"

Peeta had never seen Katniss smile this much at anyone besides her sister Prim and it felt like he was on top of the world. The fact that the girl of his dreams, the love of his life, had just asked if _he_ wanted to walk with her, blew his mind. He knew that if he was late for his shift at the bakery that he would get another wallop from his mother, but he threw caution to the wind. A chance with Katniss Everdeen was all that he had ever really wanted so far, and he wasn't going to pass it up.

He cleared his throat and moved to walk beside her, "I'd love to."

He absentmindedly noted that she was close enough to him that he could actually feel the heat of her shoulder as they walked side by side. His heart nearly burst out of his chest while his blush darkened when he realized that Katniss smelt like pine trees, with a hint of sweet peas, sunshine, and something that was definitely all her.

She basked in the sunshine and the comfortable silence that settled between them as they slowly walked towards the Seam. Katniss didn't want to break the silence, but felt that they were far enough away that she could muster up her courage to do what she had been thinking about doing. When they reached the cusps of trees that lead to a pathway into the Seam, she paused and pulled Peeta back.

A confused look flashed across Peeta's face, "I don't mind walking with you all the way. I like walking."

Katniss let out a short chortle before an open mouthed smile overtook her face, "That's not it. I just... I'm not good with words..." She took a deep breath and stared at him head on before she took his hands into her own.

He fidgeted and gently grasped her hands in return, "Katniss?"

She gripped his hands before she dropped them so quickly that he was momentarily shocked and confused. Before he could voice these feelings, Katniss slipped her arms around his torso and gave him a bone crushing hug.

He blinked rapidly and was totally caught off guard. In the six years that he had been watching Katniss from afar, he hadn't ever seen her hug anyone other than her immediate family, and even then it was mostly just Prim.

He gingerly returned her embrace before gently tightening his hold. He'd never been hugged by a girl before. It felt amazing. Katniss was softer than she appeared.

Katniss nuzzled his neck and was grateful that they were nearly the same height right now, but she knew that he'd out grow her sooner rather than later. This was nice. She didn't normally hug people that weren't Prim.

She took in a deep breath of his scent before murmuring, "Thank you... I don't know if you know it, but you saved _us_. You saved _me_." It felt hard, to say that out loud. To admit her own weakness about it all, it made her feel more like the child that she was. It was an uncomfortable feeling.

Peeta heard every single word she said, clear as a bell, and flushed again, "Always. Anything. Anything for you, always." His tone was both sincere and firm as he tried to convey how much he already loved her with those words.

He had so much more to say to her, but it felt like stale bread had been caught in his throat. For a moment he felt like this was another one of his dreams before he decided to discretely pinch himself. He inwardly flinched. It was definitely not a dream.

She pulled away from him and pulled out the soapstone amulet that she had been working on for him and held it out on the palm of her hand, "I made this for you. To...uh..thank you. It's not done. I need a necklace for it, so you'll get it when I'm done." She wanted to be softer about the whole thing, but it came out really blunt. She inwardly vowed that she'd work on that.

Peeta spluttered, "Uh..Thank you, Katniss. Can I? Can I look at it closer?"

This was out of the blue, but having something that Katniss made for him. Just him, not anyone else. Not for any other boy that had a crush on her in their year. It was for him. He was having a bit of a hard time wrapping his head around it, even though he felt so happy he could burst.

She flushed a little and nodded before she handed over the amulet. While he was examining it, utter wonderment colored his face, she softly murmured, "It's a dandelion. You remind me of it, because you both give me hope."

He didn't know quite what to say to that. Instead, he gave her a warm grin before he gave the amulet back. It was something he'd never seen before, and the markings on the back looked interesting as well.

He took a deep breath and decided that today had to be the day, "So does this mean we're friends?" His cheeks had darkened once again, from the apples of his cheeks to the tips of his ears.

Katniss pocketed the soapstone amulet before she shyly looked up at him. Inwardly her emotions raged, 'Would it be okay? Would she even be a good friend? She only really communicated with Prim and her mother. Maybe Madge and her cousins sort of counted, but even then...'

She tilted her head downwards and murmured, "I don't really know how to be a good friend, but I'd like to try..."

Peeta impulsively gave her a hug in response, which caused her to jolt her head up to rest against his shoulder. He hummed, "Then we're friends now."

Katniss hummed in response and settled into the hug. She didn't like a lot of physical contact with most people, but she decided to make an exception for Peeta. He gave nice hugs. A sudden idea struck her, one that was crazy, but she went out on a limb, "Do you trust me?"

"Of course," Peeta raised a brow at that question, but he did wonder what she was up to. He was still feeling the glow of accomplishment right now to really question it though.

Katniss stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. Right on his bruise.

Peeta blushed even redder and gave her a flabbergasted look. This was officially the best day of his life.

"Come with me," Katniss beamed at him and pulled him along as her mind whirred.

With his heart hammering in his chest, Peeta couldn't help just going with it. All he could concentrate on was Katniss's warm hand in his, the afternoon sunshine basking them in warm light, and the sweet cool breeze that blew past them.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

They ran through the back ways of the Seam, past her shanty house.

It wasn't like she was embarrassed to be seen with a Merchant boy, especially not this one. She just didn't want anyone stopping them from her goal. Katniss didn't want people to look at Peeta with the same sort of derision that some of the townies shot her with.

They only slowed down once they reached a beaten path towards the Meadow. Hand in hand they walked at a leisurely pace, and Katniss couldn't find anything to say.

She bit her lower lip and resisted the urge to bite her nails, 'Were friends supposed to walk and talk?' That's what she'd observed while Prim and her walked to and from school every day. She inwardly shook the doubt away.

Katniss paused, which made Peeta bump into her back after a moment. She shot him an apologetic look over her shoulder before holding a finger up to her lips and tilting her head towards the fence. He tilted his head in confusion before doing the same.

"The fence hums if it's electrified," she murmured.

She shot him a cheery smile, "No hum means we can have some fun. Come on. The entrance is through here."

She pulled Peeta into a clump of bushes, before she flattened out onto her belly and slid under a two-foot stretch. She popped up onto the other side and found that he had followed right after her, no questions asked. They both brushed off the dirt that covered them before rejoining hands.

"So, why are we going behind the fence?" Peeta whispered. His curiosity overtook his mouth before he could stop it.

A mischievous look adorned Katniss's face, "You'll see. Just wait a little. I have something I want to show you. Kind of like another thank you."

He shot her an exasperated look, "You don't need to thank me anymore. We're friends now, and even before then... I'd do anything for you."

She flushed at that declaration. She slightly tightened her hold on his hand and made a small noise of agreement. She felt a sort of happy shiver run through her. Such open affection from some one other than Prim, and now her mother, was sort of uncomfortable, but in a good way. She decided that she would examine these feelings later. Much later. She had shit to do.

A few steps further into the Meadow grew a bank of wildflowers. Perhaps they were weeds of some sort, but they still all had blossoms in beautiful shades of violet, yellow, and white. Peeta abruptly stopped and went off to gather up a handful of wildflowers before quickly coming back to Katniss.

When he presented them to Katniss, roots and all, a gleaming smile tugged at her lips.

There were pink-and-white flowers in the bundle. They were the tops of wild onions and they remind her of the hours she spent gathering them with her father. Her throat felt clogged up suddenly.

This place brought back a lot of memories that made her both happy and sad. She didn't like it too much, but knew that it was just her processing her grief. She wondered how long it would last.

"What's wrong?" Peeta asked, after he noted how glassy Katniss's eyes had gotten.

"Nothing," she answered, tightly holding onto her flowers in one hand. She wiped away at her eyes with her other hand, before she gave him a small warm smile.

They continued walking deeper into the Meadow towards the woods. Still no words came to her, but it was okay. The silence between them was a comfortable one.

Katniss patiently showed him which plants were safe to eat in the Meadow. And for a while, they dug up various root vegetables, gathered dandelions, harvested other wild vegetables and herbs, and picked berries from the various berry bushes that dotted the Meadow.

Peeta gave her leather satchel curious glances when it seemed like it was holding far more than it should carry, but said nothing.

Whenever she caught him glancing at her, curiosity evident on his face, he'd just give her a reassuring smile. She liked that about him. His unusual unquestioning acceptance.

She was glad that she'd made him her first friend. It was a nice feeling.

Katniss's emotions tumbled around in her chest, 'Maybe if I can trust him with this... Maybe I could trust him with the knowledge of my magic too.'

She decided that she needed to really think about it, and get to know him better. She really didn't want to be burned at the stake again because she trusted the wrong person. If they even did witch burnings around here.

After a while, Katniss decided that it was time to show him the woods, and the secret knife she carried in her boot. Katniss handed Peeta her hunting knife, and he deftly slipped it into his belt.

She was curious as to why he was so familiar with a hunting knife, but decided to just accept it. However, she did hope to get the story about that one day. But not today. They had just become friends after all.

She didn't want to scare him off. She'd never really had a friend-confidant sort of person before. She tried not to dwell on it too much because it really was quite daunting.

They made their way into the woods.

Inside the woods, the canopy was streaked with warm afternoon light. The birds were chitchattering, and the smell of tress, dirt, and moss relaxed her. A cool breeze blew through the woods and made the canopy of leaves dance. Being here made Katniss feel rejuvenated and revitalized.

Peeta kept walking behind her and cleared his throat. Sheepishly he asked, "So not that I don't appreciate hanging out with you, and learning all of this, but where are we going exactly?"

He did have a point. She didn't just want to show him what there was to find beyond the fence. No. She had something specific in mind.

Katniss looked over her shoulder and murmured, "I wanted to show you a special lake. I also wanted to hunt some game on the way there though. Is that okay? I'll split it with you."

Peeta frantically waved his hands in front of his chest and shook his head, "You don't need to split it with me. I just appreciate you bringing me along..."

"I've never had a friend before. Not like this, but I'm fairly certain friends share. So you get a cut too. It'll probably help appease your mother to see something come out of you missing your shift. So... Come on," she gave him a stiff sort of smile.

All this talking was a little more than she liked doing, but she was definitely trying.

She went to a hollowed out log and pretended to get her bow and arrows, when in reality she retrieved them from her satchel.

Peeta noticed the deception, but decided to let Katniss explain her strange magic bag to him on her own time. He was admittedly very curious about it.

The birds quieted their chirping, and the various animal sounds that usually reverberated in the woods dimmed. It wasn't the stillness of a bad omen, but she did realize it was because they were loud. Louder than she was normally used to being.

For the first time since they entered the forest, she realized that they had a problem. Peeta was loud. It was as if he'd been stomping his feet, and Katniss just realized why she hadn't caught sight of a single piece of game in the last ten minutes.

Katniss turned and looked at him, a frown puckering her forehead.

Peeta paused mid step when he felt her eyes burning a hole into him. He raised a brow, "What?"

"You've got to move more quietly," Katniss murmured.

She looked up and around them, a disappointed grimace pulled at her lips, "You're chasing off every rabbit in a ten-mile radius."

His eyes widened as he looked around and down at his feet, "Really?"

An abashed look overcame his face as he scratched the back of his head, "Sorry, I didn't know."

Katniss shook her head, "It's alright. Come 'ere. Just stand very still right next to me, and I'll show you."

Peeta obligingly walked over and stood as still as a statue while Katniss established a slow hunter's tread, one she used when tracking game. Within a few minutes, she spotted a rabbit and made her first kill with her bow and arrow.

She trotted over to her kill, just as quietly, before she ran back up to him with a grin, "See?"

A flush darkened his cheeks before he slowly nodded, "I think so."

He belatedly realized that he really liked watching her run from the back. He didn't quite know why though. Peeta wondered if this was a side effect of the onset of puberty.

'Could puberty start this early?' he inwardly worried.

Shaking his worry away, he did his best to imitate how quiet her strides were, "Like this?"

Katniss let him walk half a foot away from her before she shook her head.

Her feet moved soundlessly as she caught up to him and firmly stated, "No. No. Walk heel to toe." She demonstrated with her own feet one at a time.

When he still didn't quite get it, she let out a quiet frustrated noise before she took his leg and forced it to step properly.

Peeta went beet red at the close contact, but finally manged to do it. He let out a squeak, "Like that?"

Katniss kept a close eye on his stride before she nodded and pulled him forward with her, "Now place the heel of your foot down first, and then roll it slowly."

He obediently obliged, much too aware of the heat she was radiating with her close proximity. He gulped, "Okay."

Katniss didn't notice his nervousness, or the fact that she was way too close to him for it to be appropriate. All she could really notice was that Peeta was improving quickly, much quicker than she had anticipated. She considered that he could be a more hands on approach kind of person. She waved that thought away.

Biting her lip in concentration she added, "Now gently step towards your toes onto the ground."

He did as she asked and made much less noise than he initially did. Katniss's face lit up, "Great!"

He paused just ahead of her and curiously inquired, "Where'd you learn this?"

"My father taught me. He explained this to me in the same way I'm explaining it. You're still making too much noise though, even with the improvement. Hmmm," Katniss scanned him up and down thoughtfully.

He looked away at her scrutiny and felt another blush dust his cheeks.

She popped into his personal space again and moved her hips in an exaggerated motion as he walked beside her, "Here, as you walk you need to rotate your hips slightly like this to make your steps even more controlled."

"Like this?" he mimicked her to the best of his ability. Peeta found it a little distracting when she walked that way. However, it was sort of inwardly frustrating because he didn't really know why she was more distracting when she did that.

She stared at his gait before biting her lower lip. She hummed, "No. Ermm... Try walking on the outer edge of your shoes."

"Okay, how about now?" he asked as he wobbled slightly.

She nodded in approval, "That's great!"

They walked deeper into the woods and she found that he was almost as quiet as she was at six years old. Still too loud to hunt around, but quiet enough to not scare the braver birds.

"Can you take your boots off?" a thoughtful look flashed across Katniss's face. 'With the way he was walking, no shoes might just be the key,' she contemplated hopefully.

"Here?" he asked in disbelief.

His expression made her inwardly snort. It was if she'd asked him to walk barefoot on hot coals or something. She reminded herself that he still wasn't used to the woods, that it still might be the scary forbidden place beyond the fences of District 12 for him.

"Yes," she nodded empathetically, "I will, too. That way we'll both be quieter." She wasn't actually making any noise, but felt it would make him feel better with her show of solidarity.

So they both stripped off their boots and socks. She felt that there was some improvement, but she could almost swear he was making an effort to snap every branch they encountered the further they went in.

Needless to say, she shot nothing in this time. As they stopped to rest, she inwardly tried to work out a solution. Ideally, she'd give Peeta a simple gathering chore and go hunt, but then he'd be left with only a knife to defend himself.

She hmmed, 'What I'd really like is to try and conceal him somewhere safe, then go hunt, and come back and collect him.'

"Katniss," Peeta gave her an apologetic look startling her from her thoughts, "We need to split up. I know I'm chasing away the game."

"Only because you said so," Katniss remarked generously. She tilted her head and warmly smiled, "Besides, you're doing much better than when we initially started. You just need practice."

Surprisingly, Peeta let out a good natured laugh, "I know."

"So, why don't you go on? Show me more plants to gather and that way we'll both be useful," he suggested, gesturing to a random direction in the woods.

"What if you climbed up in a tree and acted as a lookout while I hunted?" Katniss countered, trying to make it sound like a very important job. Her worry thrashed agasint her chest.

Peeta gave her a gentle grin, "Okay. Thanks for the tip, sweetheart. How about you just go get us some meat instead?"

He raised a brow at her stoic silence before he mimicked's Katniss's tone and suggested, "Come on. Just don't go too far, in case you need hep."

She sighed and let him gather more wild vegetables. She didn't even comment on the term of endearment that he used. Katniss was well aware that she was being mean, and acquiesced that maybe a little teasing was warranted. They did need food, no question, so she let it go. She decided to just go a short distance and hope anything big enough to eat him was a long way off.

Before she wandered further away from him, leaving him essentially alone, Katniss taught him a bird whistle so they could communicate that they were all right. Fortunately, he was good at this so she quickly headed off. She felt tethered to Peeta, and only allowed herself twenty, maybe thirty yards of hunting space.

Away from Peeta, the woods came alive with animal sounds.

Reassured by his periodic whistles, she allowed herself to drift further and further away. A layer of pine needles muffled her footsteps, and soon she had four rabbits, a fat squirrel, and a bunch of grooslings to show for it. Happy with her current haul, Katniss decided to set some snares and thought about maybe getting some fish later. This would be definitely be enough.

As she traveled a short distance back, she realized that they hadn't exchanged signals in a while. When her whistle received no response, she ran.

Katniss was fast. She could sprint faster than any of the girls in her school, although a couple were able to beat her in distance races. In no time flat, she found a neat pile of roots and wild vegetables. A large leaf was laid out on the ground where the sun reached the single layer of berries that covered it.

'But where is he?' she wondered as she frantically looked around.

"Peeta!" she hollered out, panic dripping in her voice.

"Peeta!" her panic devolved into a shriek.

Birds scattered across the sky as her eyes frantically continued to scan for any sign of Peeta.

A rustle of a nearby bush made Katniss whip around and draw her bow. She almost sent an arrow through Peeta as he popped through the bush. Fortunately, she pulled her bow to the side at the last second. The arrow struck into an oak trunk to his left with a crunch.

He jumped back, flinging a handful of berries into the foliage, surprise stark on his face, "You here to finish me off, sweetheart?" A bewildered look blossomed on his face, and Katniss caught a hint of straight white teeth as he let out a nervous laugh.

Her fear came out as anger, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be here, not running around in the woods!"

"I found some berries down by a stream," he responded with a raised brow, clearly confused by her outburst.

"I whistled. Why didn't you whistle back?" Katniss snapped, her eyes narrowed in anger and fear.

"I didn't hear. The water was too loud, I guess," he slowly stated, concern covering his face.

He crossed the distance between them and gently put his hands on her shoulders. That's when she realized that she was shaking like a leaf.

"I thought a bear killed you!" she just about shouted.

"No, I'm fine," Peeta murmured as he wrapped his arms around her.

She stood stiffly in his embrace, and didn't respond.

Worry overcame his face, "Katniss?"

She firmly but gently pushed him away. Her emotions jumbled and ricocheted in her chest as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

She let out a pained breath before she snapped, "If two people agree on a signal, they stay in range. Because if one of them doesn't answer, they're in trouble, all right?"

"All right," Peeta articulated slowly and distinctly, as if trying not to lose his temper.

"All right," she replied stiffly. She turned away from him, went to the pile and took a deep breath. 'I'm not ready to forgive him for scaring me half to death', she thought as her heart slowed from its previously rapid pace. The abject fear of almost losing her first real friend in this life thrumed in her. 'If anything happened to him here, it would be all my fault...Just like with the others,' her guilt murmured in the back of her mind.

He gently nudged her shoulder, before he asked, "So I've been down by the stream collecting berries. Would you care for some?" He gestured to the berries on the ground near them.

Katniss grunted an affirmative noise. Inwardly she thought, 'I would actually, but I don't want to relent too soon. At least not verbally.'

She walked over and took a closer look at them. Her eyes narrowed in recognition, 'I've seen this type before.' She crouched down and scooped up a few, rolling them between her fingers.

Her father's voice came back to her in full clarity, "Not these, Katniss. Never these. They're nightlock. You'll be dead before they reach your stomach."

Katniss gingerly held out the berries. She gave Peeta a slight disturbed look before bluntly informing him, "These are really poisonous. We call them nightlock berries. They can kill just about anything with just a couple drops of their juices."

Peeta's eyes widened as he gave the berries a distrustful look. An alarmed look grew on his face, "Even the name sounds deadly. I'm sorry, Katniss. I really thought these were the same ones you'd shown me in the Meadow."

She shook her head before she dropped the berries back onto the pile Peeta made, "Don't apologize. You're still learning... I'm just glad you didn't eat them." 'That was way too close,' she internally added.

"I'll get rid of the rest," Peeta announced firmly. He gathered up the berries, and went off to toss them into another part of the woods, a determined look painted on his face.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Katniss patiently waited for Peeta to return from his self appointed mission.

She tilted her face towards the sunlight that streamed through the canopy leaves. Warmth seeped through her skin as her ears tuned into the sounds around her. She could faintly distinguished the echoing sounds of forest animals and insects further away. Scattered among those sounds were the sweet chirruping bird song that seemed to echo around her.

She took in a deep breath; the scent of pine mingled with the breeze. The air tasted cool and fresh. The forest seemed to thrum with life, and it made Katniss's tense muscles relax.

'Peeta's fine and will be back soon,' she quietly reassured herself. She tried to shake the feeling that she had possibly lost another friend. Again.

"Can we make a fire ?" Peeta sheepishly inquired when he came back, slightly startling Katniss from her worried thoughts.

His stomach audibly grumbled, and a blush spread across his face, "I'm ready to eat. Better to cook our food while we have a chance of not being seen from the fence, right?"

Seeing him hale and whole made her feel infinitely better. It was then that it dawned on Katniss that she hadn't been very nice to Peeta right now, and that it was probably dinner time. Her own stomach grumbled in agreement with Peeta's.

Her mind added, 'Nagging him about how loud he was, and screaming at him over disappearing wasn't a good way to keep a friend.' She decided that she'd need to make it up to him somehow. Her mind buzzed for a possible solution before a light bulb popped up into her head.

She reached up and gave him a kiss on the cheek as an apology, "Sure. Let's make a fire."

Katniss never noticed Peeta's slightly bewildered, but happy, smile.

She began to gather branches and dry brush for their fire, inwardly she congratulated herself for her good idea. 'A little fire this far out would be okay,' she reassured herself. Cooking anything in the woods was risky, but she found that she had a fairly surprising squishy weak spot for Peeta. A spot that she had assumed had only belonged to Prim.

He looked pleased and relieved, and uttered under his breath, "Well, that was easy."

Apparently, Peeta was a whiz with fires. He coaxed a blaze out of some damp wood he'd found in no time flat. With a cheeky grin he tossed over his shoulder, "I'm used to making fires. I've had a lot of practice at the bakery."

Katniss nodded in acknowledgement to this fact, slightly impressed. She'd always assumed that the Merchant shopkeepers lived a soft life, but he was good with a knife and knew how to make a fire. She considered that she might've been wrong.

She meticulously cleaned and gutted two of the grooslings first. With their feathers plucked they were no bigger than chickens, but they were plump and firm. In no time at all, she'd cleaned and gutted a rabbit as well, leaving the head, feet, tail, skin, and innards behind. She'd make sure to wrap and pack them up before they left since every part would be useful.

Her stomach howled at her at this point, but she reminded herself that eating raw meat could give a person frothing fever. She internally shivered at that thought. It wasn't a good way to go. She'd seen one of the old hunter's from her father's small group of friends die that way once.

She quickly had the grooslings and rabbit, along with some roots, wrapped in leaves baking on the fire. They took turns gathering greens and keeping a careful watch as the food sizzled on the fire. Savory aromas wafted from their fire making their mouths water. And as Katniss anticipated, nothing made an appearance despite the tempting smells.

However, the fear that she might be wrong still niggled at the back of her mind. Bears, angry deer, predatory cats, wild dogs and the like, were a real problem to watch out for this deep in the forest. And if they were surprised by an apex predator, she couldn't guarantee their lives.

Soon enough, some of their food was done cooking. With careful hands, they each took a piece of the tender looking groosling. Smiling at one another before digging in, they each took in chomping bites. And for a while, all conversation stopped between them as they filled their bellies. The only other sound besides the forest that hummed around them, was the crick crackle of the fire that continued to lick at the other game that they had placed on the fire.

The groosling was a delicious meal that was so fatty that the grease dripped down their faces every time they bit into it. Its meat was soft, warm, and tender, melting only slightly in their mouths as they continued to chew and swallow. As they continued to tuck into their meal, they could even taste the subtle taste of their campfire. All in all, it was immensely satisfying. Both Katniss and Peeta had let out happy little noises when they ate the last bits of the succulent bird.

"Oh," Peeta expressed with a wistful sigh, "I've never had a whole thigh to myself before."

"Take the other," Katniss encouraged, not expecting that he would say something like that. Sure, she expected it from someone in the Seam, but not a townie.

"Really?" he hesitantly queried a concerned frown scrunched his forehead.

"Take whatever you want. I've got a bow and arrows, I can get more. Plus I've got snares, if we do run out. I can show you how to set them up later," Katniss simply stated.

Peeta still looked uncertain at the groosling thigh. His stomach audibly grumbled making his face contort in embarrassment.

"Oh, take it," she declared, exasperation coloring her voice. She pulled off a groosling thigh and placed it in his hands, "We've got another whole bird plus the rabbit and the roots. It's okay. Eat more if you're still hungry."

Once Peeta got a hold of it, his appetite won out and he took a huge mouthful. Happiness flooded his face as he savored the groosling thigh.

"I'd have thought you could eat as much bread and meat as you wanted," Katniss bluntly remarked after finishing her own groosling thigh.

Peeta's eyes comically widened as he shook his head. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, swallowing what he was chewing before quitely disclosing, "Oh, no, we're not allowed to eat any of the fresh bread. It's too expensive for my family to eat. Unless it's gone very stale. Of course, practically everything we eat is stale."

A pained look passed Peeta's face as he muttered, "And we're definitely not allowed the meat for the bakery products."

"They arrest you or something?" Katniss probed, a slight frown marred her face.

"There are Capitol cameras in the front part of the bakery. One time my older brother Rye snuck a nibble on a meat pie, and one of the newer Peacekeepers tazed him," Peeta professed, a dark frown pulled at his lips as he recalled the event.

"After that, my mother's been very very strict about only eating what we get ourselves. The bakery technically belongs to the government," he revealed morosely as he stared at his hands.

The bruise on his cheek and eye looked darker to Katniss now, and her stomach tightened. He had risked far more than just getting beaten for the bread he had thrown to her.

Katniss blinked rapidly before she stared at Peeta. She could tell by his expression that this wasn't an uncommon occurrence for this to be the case.

'Was that true for all the other merchant stores?' she thought, her anger at the Capitol simmered in her stomach.

She did her best to stem her rage. Katniss didn't want to accidentally take it out on Peeta. Instead, she nodded as her mind pondered about the implications of what Peeta had just said.

It was true, Peeta probably always had just enough to eat. However, there was something kind of depressing about living your life on stale bread. Hard, dry loaves that no one else wanted seemed like a sad sort of way to live. What she found even more depressing was that they could smell and see all the baked goods, but were never allowed to eat them. She felt like that was a cruel sort of daily torture.

Now that she knew that, she felt a little bad, 'At least when my father and I used to bring our food home on a daily basis, most of it was so fresh that you had to make sure it wasn't going to make a run for it.'

"Do you get all the coal you want?" Peeta inquired curiously.

"No," Katniss shook her head as she answered.

She gave him a sardonic smile, "Just what we buy and whatever we track in on our boots."

It was interesting, hearing about his life. They had so little communication between the people that lived in the Seam and the town. The social divide in their district was pronounced enough that it was easy to assume that the rumors about the other was fact rather than fiction.

When the other food finished cooking, Katniss packed most of it up into her satchel along with all the guts and pelts that she had stripped from them. They'd sell well at the Hob later on. She made sure to leave each of them a rabbit's leg to eat while they walked.

"Let's go," Peeta suggested as he put out their fire and made sure that it didn't look like someone had been here.

It surprised Katniss that he'd think to do that. She realized that there was more to him than she had initially thought. She also found that she wanted to get to know him better, but she didn't quite know how.

Katniss nodded, and then without a word, they headed for the stream. They quickly reached the stream Peeta had mentioned previously. She saw that the water moved at a leisurely pace, so she suggested that they walk in it for a bit. Peeta happily obliged, and since he was a lot quieter in water than on land, it was a doubly good idea.

The stream didn't run fairly deep in most spots, and glimmered against the sunlight. Fish swam quickly by them, water splashing them in the face now and then as they continued to wade through the stream.

They headed further down the stream to wash up near a rocky shore. Katniss felt her face and arms, itching for the cool crystalline water. When she finally gave into her urge, she found the water cool and refreshing against her skin.

She happily washed her hair and braided it back wet after scrubbing her arms and hands of grim. Peeta splashed his face and neck after scrubbing his hands and arms as well. He let out a deep sigh in relief at the feeling of clean skin. Both Katniss and Peeta felt much better with the grease and grit washed off of them.

Katniss kept her bow loaded as they walked, both for any predators and any fish she might catch sight of. She ended up shooting six Largemouth bass, each weighing about 5 kg each give or take.

Peeta managed to stab two Brook trouts with her knife, to Katniss's utter surprise and to his baffled delight, "I did it!"

"Yup! That's pretty amazing. Here, let me help you," with that she took the fish that he managed to catch and weighed them in her hands, she figured that they were about 4 kg each.

Nodding at him with a proud grin she slipped the fish into her satchel along with her catches, "These are good catches. Good job. They're even about 4 kg each. That's really impressive."

He looked at her with utter pride colored on his face, "Thanks."

She figured that it was also incredible luck that guided him, but felt that she didn't need to say that.

Given their late start to their hike to the lake, because of school, by the time they reached their destination their feet were dragging. They reached the lake shore in the late afternoon. The light was warm, but the air began cooling as the sun slowly crawled down the sky.

They sat by the lake on a nearby wooden bench.

It was another bench Katniss's father had made. He'd been very fond of making wooden furniture. He'd been especially fond of leaving them in places that they frequently frequented. More so, if they were areas where he had known that only few knew about. He had always told Katniss that an oasis wasn't an oasis without a good bench. In another life, he probably would've been a successful and well off carpenter had he been given the choice.

She stared out at the still lake; crystalline water with ducks languidly swimming past gently floating pond lilies.

An old house sat near the edge of the lake, the water almost lapping up at the walls. Maybe "house" was too big a word for it. It was only one room, about twelve feet square. Her father had thought that a long time ago, that there were a lot more similar buildings. He'd said that that people probably came to the lake to play, to fish, and to relax with their families. This would've been long long before Panem though.

The foundations were still visible from where she sat, even though the houses that rested on top of them were long gone. This particular house outlasted the others because it was made out of concrete. Floor, roof, ceiling; everything was a sturdy concrete. Only one of the four glass windows remained, wavy and yellowed by time. There wasn't any plumbing or electricity, but the fireplace still worked. She remembered that there was a woodpile in the corner that she and her father had collected years ago before his death.

In the trees at the edge of the lake, away from the old house, she spotted mockingjays flitting about through the late afternoon light. Sunshine filtered through the canopy leaves illuminating the colorful birds. The mockingjays bounced melodies back and forth between them like brightly colored musical balls. It warmed her heart to see and hear them again.

Katniss opened her mouth and sang out a familiar four-note run. She felt them pause curiously at the sound of her voice, as though they were listening for more. She patiently repeated the notes in the silence.

First one mockingjay trilled the tune back, then another, and then another. Suddenly, the whole world came alive with sound. The four-note run turned into an orchestra of bird song that reverberated around them.

She fingered the end of her braid and lightly tugged it before glancing at Peeta to the side.

"It's my father's song," she solemnly imparted. This entire place made her feel like if she were to turn around, her father would appear with a bad joke, a smile, and a hug. It made her heart feel like it would squeeze out of her chest.

She leaned against her knees as her features softened, "I think they remember it."

She used to rank music somewhere between hair ribbons and rainbows in terms of usefulness when her father was still alive, pretty but not practical. But now...she'd rank it higher.

The music continued to swell and she recognized the brilliance of it all. As the notes continued to overlap, they complimented one another, forming a lovely, unearthly harmony. For a while, she just closed her eyes and listened, mesmerized by the beauty of the song. Her throat clogged as she remembered her father. Her smile faltered as she squeezed her eyes shut.

She tucked her knees up closer to her chest, let her hands cup her knees and laid her head on top of her hands.

Katniss stared out into the lake, her eyes slightly watery as she quietly affirmed, "Believe it or not, there used to be music in my house. Music I helped make. My father always pulled me in with his remarkable voice to sing along. And I haven't sung much since he died. Except whenever Prim is very sick. Then I sing her the same songs she liked as a baby."

Despite her best efforts, she could feel tears starting to pool in her eyes.

Peeta looked at her in concern, his hand gently rubbed her shoulder, "What is it? Are you in pain?"

She shook her head and cupped her elbows into her hands, hugging them close to her body. Katniss realized that this was probably one of the few ways she could properly process her grief. Here in the woods, in places where her father had dubbed their oases away from the hold of the Capitol and all their suffocating laws.

Her heart felt like it was in a vice, her stomach in knots, but Peeta's presence made it feel like it wouldn't get squeezed to death. It was odd, all of it, but in a way she was okay with it.

'Was this the whole part of growing up that her father had promised to talk to her about?' she internally puzzled.

"So what's wrong?" he gently probed.

She couldn't tell him yet. It was still too hard to vocalize for Katniss, so instead she picked at a nearby clump of weeds.

"Let's start with something more basic then. What's your favorite color?" he questioned, a slightly silly grin painted on his face.

A smile creeped onto her lips, "Green. What's yours?"

"Orange," he blithely confided leaning back against his arms.

"Orange? Like escort Effie's hair?" Katniss questioned with a raised brow and a bemused expression.

Peeta made a disgusted face before shaking his head and letting out a chortle, "No. A bit more muted. More like...hmm...more like a sunset."

'A sunset,' she could picture it in her mind immediately. The rim of the descending sun with the sky streaked with soft shades of orange, yellow and gold. She decided then and there that sunsets were beautiful.

Katniss cleared her throat after a moment of silence passed between them, "I used to go swimming here on hot summer Sundays in the woods with my father."

Her eyes lost focus for a minute as memories filtered in though her brain, "Those days were always a special treat. We would leave early in the morning and hike into the woods to this lake. He'd found it while hunting before I was born. I don't even remember when I first swam in this lake since I was so young when he first brought me here. I just remember diving, turning somersaults, and paddling around with the muddy bottom of the lake beneath my toes."

She closed her eyes for a moment, a small sad smile graced her lips as she slowly breathed in familiar scents, "The smell of blossoms and greenery permeates my mind whenever I think about this place."

Pointing over to a corner of the lake she hummed, "I had loved floating on my back over there, staring at the blue sky while the chatter of the woods was muted by the water. My father would bag the waterfowl that nested around this shore, and I'd hunt for eggs in the grasses. Later on, we'd both dig for katniss roots; the plant he named me after, in the shallows."

A contemplative look obscured her face, "At night, when we would finally get home, my mother would pretend not to recognize me because I was so clean. Then she'd cook up an amazing dinner of roasted duck and baked katniss tubers with gravy."

She gave him such a vulnerable look, one that Peeta would etch into his memory, before she murmured, "It's time-consuming to get here, but the waterfowl are such easy pickings you can make up for lost hunting time. It's a place I've never really wanted to share with anyone, though, a place that belonged only to me and my father. I thought that you deserved it too though, after what you did..."

An understanding look washed over his face before he whispered, "Thank you for sharing this place with me."

Katniss shrugged her shoulders bonelessly, then proceeded to lean against his shoulder, "I don't think my father would have minded."

She felt his arm wrap around her and they sat there a while, locked in a half embrace. They felt each others comforting warmth, the sunlight, and a cool breeze that rustled the leaves at their feet.

Then something disrupted the music in the background. Runs cut off in jagged, imperfect lines. Dissonant notes intersperse with the melody. The mockingjays' voices rose up in a shrieking cry of alarm.

They bolted onto their feet. Peeta wielded her knife. Katniss poised to shoot.

An angry stag smashed through the trees and bared down on them, Katniss let her arrow fly. It hit the stag's chest causing it to rear back almost like it wanted to stomp down on Katniss. She rapidly fired a second arrow into its throat. Its body twitched and flopped onto the ground with a thud.

Peeta relaxed and let the knife rest against his leg as he stared down at the dead stag. He let out a gruff laugh, "Well I guess we'll have enough meat now."

Katniss retrieved her bows and let her head fall backwards as she let out a guffaw, "Yeah. You'll definitely get my gift sooner than later now."

They decided to head back towards District 12.

It was a long walk back, but with a subtle feather weight charm, the 400 pound deer that they were dragging with them wasn't as cumbersome as it could've been. Peeta did give her an odd look, when it wasn't as heavy as he thought it would be.

It made the suspicions of her being somehow magical much more prominent in his mind. He heard the same sort of fairytales that most of the children in District 12 had heard growing up. Tales of magic and adventure. He wondered if his imagination was just running away with him or if Katniss was really magic somehow. His new friend was certainly proving to be interesting.

Although they were going downwards, it was still a long and tiring way back through a darkening forest, even with the rabbit legs to give them a boost in energy. By the time they got to the edge of the forest, Katniss didn't care that Peeta's tired footfalls sent rodents scurrying, and made the birds take wing. They were both exhausted by their hike, but happy.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Katniss and Peeta made it back to the Meadow as the sun finished dipping down into the horizon.

By the time they had made it back to the fence, a pitch black curtain had draped across the sky. It was so dark they could barely see where they were going. The stars, pin pricks of sparkling shining luminescence, and the white waxy moon was their only guiding source of light.

Crickets, frogs, and the birds of the night were the only sounds they could hear, apart from their steady breaths.

Along the way back, Katniss explained what had happened when her father had gotten this big of a kill last year, "I think we should skip going to the Hob and go directly to the Merchant Butcher with this."

Peeta looked around, making sure that there wasn't anyone around, "Oh, I agree. I've never been to the Hob, and going after dark kind of makes me kind of wary. Still though, why?"

He offered up a small nervous smile. This was the most rebellious thing that he'd ever done in his life, and he liked it thus far. It was interesting having Katniss as a friend. Much better than just mooning over her from afar.

They kept their hold on the deer as they steadily headed towards their chosen direction, "Ah. My dad caught something this big last year. A great big stag, just a little bigger than this one actually. He dragged it to the Hob and it had caused utter chaos with people bidding on parts and actually trying to hack off pieces themselves."

Katniss scrunched up her nose, "Greasy Sae; one of the Hob Merchants, had to intervene and ended up sending us with the stag to the Merchant butcher. It was already too late though, it'd been badly damaged during the chaos. Hunks of meat had been taken and the hide was riddled with holes. And even though everybody paid up fairly, it had lowered the overall value of the kill."

They both agreed that it would be safer to just head to the Merchant Butcher rather than risking going to the Hob. Besides, even though Katniss was a known hunter, it wouldn't have been good to go carrying a 400-pound deer throughout the dark open streets of District 12. That was just like they were asking for a whipping.

People had no doubt, put two and two together, that Katniss was going to keep hunting illegally. Just like her father though, she didn't want to hurt anybody by publicly announcing that she was an illegal hunter. It would certainly hurt the other hunters, Greasy Sae, the Hob Butcher, the Merchant Butcher, and the Peacekeepers that were her father's, and now her, customers by basically announcing that they'd been breaking the law too, just by buying illegal game.

It would've been like she were rubbing it in the officials' faces, and nobody wanted that. It was safer to just lay low. It would certainly lengthen her lifespan and keep her family out of trouble.

They slipped under a hole in the fence close to the Merchant Butcher's back entrance. Katniss knocked on the peeling brown door in the specific pattern that her father had taught her. They didn't have to wait long before it opened. Warm florescent light streamed through the doorway before someone came into view.

The Merchant Butcher was a short, chunky woman named Rooba. She'd only buy rabbits, deer, and birds, but not any other wild game. Rooba was particular like that. Katniss counted her lucky stars that it had been a crazy stag that had charged at them and not an animal that she couldn't otherwise trade into the Merchant market.

Rooba gave her one of her crooked smiles, before she raised a patchy brow at the sight of Peeta. She wiggled her brows at Katniss, but she refused to take the bait. Katniss couldn't help the blush that spread from her face down to her chest though. The next time Peeta wasn't with her, she was sure that Rooba was going to tease her about finally getting a friend. This kill was worth any future teasing though.

People knew not to haggle with Rooba. She gave you one price, which you either took or left, but it was always a fair price. They happily took her offer on the stag, and she threw in a couple of venison steaks that she stated they could pick up after the butchering.

Even with the money divided in two, neither Peeta nor Katniss had held so much money at one time in their entire young lives. A whole hundred credits each. That was the equivalent of a quarter of a months salary at the mines. They decided to keep it a secret to surprise their families tomorrow night. Both with the fantastic haul, and the surprising amount of money.

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The break of dawn brought shimmering rays of sunlight that filtered into the room, and caressed Katniss's face with its warm tendrils.

When she slowly woke up, she found that the other side of the bed was still warm. Her fingers stretched out, and found Prim's soft shoulder. She'd taken to sleeping with Katniss again, now that her mother was slowly coming back to them.

With the finesse and silence that being a hunter brought her, she slipped out of their shared bedroom without waking her little sister or her mother. A mischievous grin stretched across her face as she tiptoed towards the kitchen. A plan brewed in her brain.

She happily made her way through their dreary drafty kitchen towards the kitchen table with her leather satchel.

Katniss deftly threw her hair into her normal braid before she tended to the hens and Buttercup. They really needed a chicken coop for the birds, even if they managed to only poop outside of the house and not inside so far. It was still a little awkward to have them here rather than in their own home out in the backyard.

'At least the hens and Buttercup got along well enough,' she idly thought as she finished making sure that they were all okay. She was also glad Buttercup, even as a kitten, hadn't tried to eat any of the chickens. That would've been a traumatic sight, not only for Prim.

She glanced at their old calendar to double check the date. "I definitely have to start my surprise plan for Prim. It's March 19th today. Prim's 7th birthday," she muttered under her breath as she tugged on the end of her braid.

She bit her lower lip in thought as she inwardly went through the steps of planning Prim's 7th birthday. A small part of her was just glad that they hadn't died of starvation before her little sister's birthday had come around.

Katniss was happy that it was Saturday today. A lot of the businesses, not including the Hob, closed earlier on the weekends, and she needed a certain someone today. She figured he could use the soapstone amulet that she made for him sooner than later. Plus, if she took Peeta with her, she could do two things at once. Introduce him to the illegal black market that was the Hob, and get help in finding Prim the perfect gift to make up for the crappy year so far.

She gave the calendar a sad fond smile. It was a faded with weathered edges, and painted watercolors of various flowers with flowy calligraphy quotes. It wasn't the newest or most well preserved calendar, but everything was pretty legible. Her father had gotten it for their mother for their 12th wedding anniversary last year.

Calendars, books, art, and the like were hard to come by, legally, in District 12. Their father had bought the calendar from one of Hob merchants that only sold stationary, Eustace. They used to always get a birthday card from their father once a year from that same stall. Katniss knew that it would make her sister's day if that tradition didn't die with their dad. She had to remember to swing by his stall later in the day to pick one up.

The first part of her plan was a birthday breakfast.

Before-Katniss couldn't cook for shit, except for soup. She, however, had experience cooking from 41 previous lives, so she knew how to make a meal that was both tasty and food poison free. She decided to make Prim improvised souffle pancakes, an omelet, and some mixed berry French toast with the leftover bread they'd gotten from Mr. Mellark. It took about an hour for Katniss to finish the entire breakfast, but once she was done she found that it looked perfect. Prim would love this.

She carefully inspected the food that she made. The Before-Katniss would've exploded if she had known that she could've combined what little they had to make these things. She had to remind herself that Before-Katniss had truly been a child, and that she was cheating with all her retained knowledge.

Still, she thought that it had turned out delightful. Katniss was proud that she'd made all this. It was a good feeling to know that she could to more than just illegally hunting and gathering for her family.

The pancakes were incredibly aromatic and smelt like freshly made vanilla cakes. She poked it gently to see if they were just right, and they jiggled. They were light, airy and fluffy, and she hoped that they'd be equally delicious.

Katniss inspected the huge omelet. She'd used four eggs, left over salmon, and wild vegetables to ensure that it would be filling. She wished she had cheese to top it off, but hoped that the small amount of salt and pepper that they had would help it taste just as good. A savory smell wafted from it, promising a delightful taste.

She poked the mixed berry French toast casserole. It was ooey and gooey with caramelized sugar. The pieces of warm bread glistened in the steel pan and reminded her vaguely of cinnamon buns from another life. A sweet syrupy berry cake like smell wafted into her nose, and a content smile pulled Katniss's lips up.

Soon she heard her mother's light, quick tread come up from behind her, "I smelt something delicious."

Katniss turned slightly from prepping the table, before a happy smile crossed her face, "Thanks. I made Prim a birthday breakfast. One big enough for all of us to share."

Her mother's eyes watered at that declaration before she swallowed audibly, "Just like your father."

Her eyes widened at the sight of pancakes and the French toast casserole. She had a strange expression on her face. It was as if she hadn't seen something like this since she was a little girl. Katniss thought that it might've been a wistful sort of nostalgia, but she wasn't sure. She didn't really want to pry.

"Yeah," Katniss simply replied as she finished up making their table look as pretty as she could. Inwardly, she was a little irritated, 'Why didn't she do this? Why couldn't she remember her own daughter's birthday?' Katniss knew she was being unreasonable, so she shoved those thoughts and feelings aside...for now.

She frowned down at the shabby table. 'It'd look better with some magic,' she thought. But she didn't know how other magic would react to this body.

With some bodies in her previous lives, no magic would manifest because that body just couldn't handle it. Other bodies could use any and all magic, and some were in the middle; some magic would work and others wouldn't. So far, she knew that she'd been able to do transfiguration, charms, some runic work, and other simple magic in this body.

Conjuration and duplication was a bit more complex. If she got one thing wrong she could probably end up passing out, or worse. It was risky. She'd have to try to see if she could do it though, because it could make all the difference.

Her mother smiled big and wide, and for once it finally reached her eyes, "She'll love it. I'll wake her up so we can all eat together. I'll be right back with Prim."

She hurried off to wake Prim while Katniss sat down at the kitchen table. They didn't have any birthday candles, but she could pick that up later in the day. You could get just about anything at the Hob from the right Hob Merchant, she idly remembered.

Prim blearily walked into the kitchen with their mother gently guiding her. She sniffed the air and immediately her eyes comically widened, "Oh wow! Is this all for me?"

She bounced on the balls of her feet and seemed to eat the image of her Birthday breakfast with her eyes. She let a happy little hum as she deeply breathed it all in.

Katniss leaned her elbow on the table and grinned at her little sister, "Yes, little duck. This is your Birthday breakfast. I hope you like it!"

Prim bounced over to her sister and engulfed the older girl into a bone-crushing hug, "This is the best. Thank you so much, Katniss!"

She spotted her mother staring into space, tears dripping down her face before she seemed to snap out of it. Her mother scrubbed at her eyes and gave her daughters a tired small smile.

Loss was the side of love that their mother never thought about when her husband had been alive. When he died, so did half of her, and suddenly the world seemed fractured and shadowed. Getting out of the pit of utter despair and back to sort of functioning was hard. Knowing that there'd be more birthdays, holidays, and key moments in their daughters' lives that her husband would miss, tore what was left of her heart.

She tried to focus. Today was supposed to be happy.

Katniss cleared her throat and pulled away from Prim, "Well, sit down and enjoy. Mom and I can sing you happy birthday."

"Really? I thought that was a Birthday dinner thing," Prim asked as she settled in beside her sister.

Their mother quietly joined the girls. Her heart ached. She knew that her husband would've been thrilled by all of this, and she felt horrible that he was missing it all. The gaping hole in her heart felt jagged and torn, but she knew that she couldn't just die in order to join him. The girls would probably never forgive her.

Katniss nodded, "Yes, but we can just sing it twice."

"Okay! I love it when you sing," Prim stated as she patiently waited.

They sang happy birthday in harmony; their mother sang in a soft breathy soprano while Katniss followed along in a soulful alto. Prim thought it was beautiful, while her heart seemed to constrict. It didn't quite sound the same without their father's accompanying baritone balancing it out, and she knew that they could feel it too.

Prim squished down the desire to cry. Katniss had made her delicious looking and smelling food that wasn't soup. This was big and important.

'Big girls were brave and strong,' she reminded herself, 'Just like her big sister.'

They all started to dig into breakfast, each of them happily savoring the meal. It was an odd feeling to actually be sated after a meal for once. They didn't need to suck down mint tea to suppress any leftover hunger. It was nice having enough food for everyone lately, and not having another hollow day.

She hated those hollow days. Days where no matter what you would put into your belly, it was never enough. It was a feeling she keenly remembered because it happened in many of her past lives. She felt bad that her dad wouldn't be able to experience this wonderful satisfied feeling, but she hoped that he was somewhere happy where he didn't have to worry about anything.

Her mother cleared her throat, which startled her out of her thoughts. She gave Prim a warm smile, "What do you want to do today, sweetheart? We can do whatever you want since it's your day."

Prim finished off her breakfast and hummed. A bright twinkle sparkled in her eyes, "I wanna go on your patient rounds with you today, mom."

Prim always had a talent for healing. She'd started helping her mother with patients when she had turned five, under heavy direction from her mother of course. She had this way about her that radiated out just like their mother had, before their father had died. Their mother always said that healers were born, not made, and it was exactly that way with Prim. Prim, who's scared of her own shadow, was never fazed by any of the wounds, nudity, or death that she saw when she helped their mother.

Their mother let out a deep sigh, "Oh, Prim."

She had a lot of patients that were sick and dying of malnutrition lately, and she didn't really want to expose her to that on her birthday. She didn't want to spoil yet another thing.

Prim widened her eyes and puffed out her lips while she wheedled, "Please?"

"She is the birthday girl, mom," Katniss succinctly added. She didn't see anything wrong with it. It was Prim's day today, and Katniss believed that it would be best to spoil her a little. Even if it meant that her little sister would be exposed to the dying side of the Seam.

Their mother let out a huff and rolled her eyes, but both girls could see the slight smile she tried hard to suppress, "Alright, but we won't be back till 6 pm. Is that okay?"

Prim bounced in her seat, "I can handle it."

Katniss got up and stretched out before shooting them a crooked grin, "Well, I hope you two get home by six because I have another birthday surprise for you, little duck."

Prim let out a tinkling laugh, "You're one to talk. Don't think we didn't notice that you came home really late with Peeta Mellark. Your boyfriend!"

Their mother turned to Katniss and tsked, "While I'm sure Peeta is the very model of what a young man should be, you aren't old enough to have any boyfriend at all." She followed this with a pointed look at her eldest daughter.

Katniss spluttered, "He's just my friend." The idea that she could just jump in and suddenly have a boyfriend this fast, was just so impossibly ludicrous that she couldn't figure out why that line of thought even occurred to her family.

She shot them an irritated glance as they continued to laugh and tease her.

They joked around some more while they all helped one another clean up. Katniss huffed, but wasn't really all that embarrassed or mad anymore. She just reminded herself that this teasing was worth it to get that good deal with Rooba.

They all cleaned themselves up, tidied up the house, and the animals before they did their last checks before leaving the house. The animals had enough food and water to last until they all got back, and Katniss was left to lock up the house.

Prim and her mother walked arm in arm, hoping that today would be a good day for their patients.

Katniss looked at their retreating backs and sighed. She could almost pretend that her father was at work or just out hunting when she saw them like that. She shook her head to erase those thoughts before she marched towards her destination with purposeful strides.

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AN: Thank you to everyone that favorited, followed, and read this story. And a big thank you to the Guest, ethersound, and karin6824 for the reviews!

Please do note that since I'm doing this on a note taking app, half on my phone and half on my computer, that there'll be mistakes now and again. I'll do my best to correct them, but it won't be right away especially since I don't have a beta.

You are all great, and I hope that wherever you guys are, that you have a wonderful day.

Karin6824: I've edited it to fix that problem.


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

Katniss hurriedly made her way to the Merchant market.

Sunshine beamed down on the market goers, only pausing when fluffy white clouds decided to float on by in the bright blue sky. A sweet fragrant breeze blew in now and again, making Katniss's braid flutter behind her as she dashed past people on the way to the bakery. It was a nice breeze, one that cooled her sun soaked skin.

The loud and bustling crowd was fairly large in the Merchant market for a Saturday. It wasn't as bad as the Hob though, especially with how the open air tempered the smell of the people around her.

She wanted to trade some wild vegetables, rabbits, a squirrel, and two grooslings with the Baker. Actually, it was more like she wanted to force them onto the Baker. It wouldn't be too hard since he enjoyed grooslings, and squirrels. He liked rabbits too, but was much more fond of the aforementioned. She figured that he'd take the wild vegetables as well since otherwise fresh vegetables weren't available legally. People could obtain all sorts of canned vegetables from the Merchant Grocer though.

It was too bad that the Baker would only trade when his wife wasn't around, but Katniss and her father had figured out the witch's normal routines a long time ago. Although sometimes they were wrong, most of the time they caught him without his beast of a wife there.

It was part of the haul that Peeta had stubbornly insisted that she take home last night. He said that he and his family would be okay, but now that she knew the truth of the matter, she disagreed. Everyone needed to eat something more than crumbs.

And really, how the Merchants lived was depressing. They made all these goods, but were forbidden to eat them themselves or risk dire punishment. So basically, they had to slowly starve like everyone else in the Seam, but they also had to sell what they couldn't have. The Capitol was crueler than she thought, and she already thought that they were the worst before finding out about this.

Katniss needed to see him again anyways. She really wanted Peeta to experience the Hob, and to get the finishing item for his gift. Besides, he might be able to help her pick up a gift for Prim. It wasn't every day someone had their 7th birthday after all, she wanted to find something nice, and two sets of eyes were better than one.

There was also something about his presence, something that made her feel a sense of security. She hadn't felt any sort of security like that since her father had died. It was different though. She couldn't identify the feeling yet, but she felt like the back of her mind kept yelling that she knew what this was. She ignored it for now.

Katniss knocked on the back door of the Bakery with the same knock she usually used at Rooba's. While she waited, she quickly and carefully gathered what she wanted to trade out of her leather satchel. It was one thing for her family to know she could do magic, but it was another for strangers to know.

The Bakery back door opened and Katniss straightened slightly.

The scrumptious scent of freshly baking bread and the heat of the ovens assaulted her, and it suddenly hit her. This would be the first time she was officially trading with anyone without her father. Her stomach clenched and her nerves felt slightly frayed as she readied herself.

'It'll be fine,' Katniss inwardly reassured herself, 'The Baker's nice. It'll be okay.'

Instead of the Baker, Peeta's older brother popped his head through the door. At the sight of her, an impish smile crossed his face. He opened the door further and gave her a friendly wave, "Oh hey! You're Peeta's little girlfriend, Katniss Everdeen, right? My little brother's new best friend that makes him blush. I'm Rye, Peeta's older and cooler brother."

Katniss felt a familiar scowl spread across her face as her entire countenance tensed, "I'm not anyone's girlfriend. Too young for that. I need to trade these."

Rye gave her an understanding nod even though his eyes sparked with mischief, "Ahh, I'll get my dad, just...Oh! Here, you can talk to Peeta while I go get him. Come 'ere, squirt. You're best friend is here." Rye ducked out abruptly and Peeta was suddenly shoved into his place by the back Bakery doorway.

Peeta stumbled and shouted over his shoulder, "Wait. What? Rye!" Flour was slightly smeared on his arms and his cheeks. His irritation was clear on his face.

He turned and faced her, irritation melting off and blooming into a sweet smile at the sight of her, "Oh! Hi, Katniss."

Katniss smiled so hard that the dimples on her cheeks were unmistakable. She shuffled her feet slightly before she shot him a determined look, "I brought over your half of the haul. I won't leave till you take it." She held it out to him expectantly.

"Ahh. You're stubborn," he let out a chuckle as he gazed down at the haul that she wanted him to take. His hands twitched at his sides before he brushed them against his stained white Bakery apron.

Katniss bonelessly shrugged, "I know." She shook the haul slightly, a motion meant for him to take it off her hands.

He rolled his eyes, a teasing smile lifted his lips, "I'll take it, but just because you're insistent." He took it off of her hands and put it down on a nearby table.

Katniss saw the uncomfortable look on Peeta's face when he gazed at it all, "We could trade if it'd make you feel better."

He flushed and stuttered, "Well-"

The Baker popped his head out of the doorway and glanced at the two kids, "Oh, hello Katniss. Peeta, did you want to trade for me today?" He seemed oddly distracted today.

Peeta lifted a eyebrow, confusion evident on his face, "Uh...sure dad."

The Baker gave them both a distracted nodded before looking back into the Bakery. He plopped a handful of credits into Peeta's hand, "Here. I have to go wrangle your older brothers before they get themselves into trouble. They're making a ruckus at the front of the Bakery for some reason."

Peeta watched as his dad quickly strode way. He opened his hand and quickly counted out the money for the trade before nodding, "Okay. Huh. Well here you go."

Katniss squinted at the credits before swiftly shaking her head, "I'll only take ten credits."

She knew that was much less than what this whole haul was worth, but considering Peeta had helped acquire it all, she didn't mind. Katniss, in fact, would've preferred that he'd just take it without the trade in mind, but she could understand where he was coming from. No one in District 12 ever really wanted anything out of pity. They had much more pride than that, even as poor as their district was.

A confused frown overtook Peeta's face, "But my dad gave me twenty five for it."

Katniss gave him a stiff smile, "I only want ten."

Realization bloomed on his face, before he gave her a slightly irritated sigh, "I know what you're trying to do."

He shuffled his feet. Never in his life, had he felt that someone else wanted him to eat well just because. It was a new and warm feeling that spread from his stomach to his toes. None of the other Merchant kids did anything like this for him even though they were his supposed friends.

She let out an exasperated sound before carelessly shrugging, "Then just accept it."

Katniss shot him an impish look and wheedled, "Accept it, especially if I'm your best friend now."

Peeta yielded and gave her the ten credits while his cheeks slightly reddened, "Yeah...I hope you don't mind."

Rye had covered for him for coming home so late in order to escape another beating from their mother. In doing so, he had demanded an answer as to why Peeta had been home past sunset. Peeta had told him only a little bit of his adventure whilst also admitting to becoming, hopefully, best friends with the girl he was so enamored with.

Katniss stamped down the slight embarrassment that threatened to flush her face. She shook her head and leaned back on her heels, "I don't. And as my best friend, we should hang out more, right?"

A resolute expression flooded his face, "Definitely."

He'd never really had a best friend before, but he'd heard stories about how the best relationships were with a best friend. His oldest brother, Bannok, had taken that magazine away from him before he could finish the article explaining why. Bannok had even made Peeta swear that he'd never say anything about the magazine, and Peeta had sworn that he wouldn't. He didn't quite get what the big deal about it was though.

Katniss plopped her heels back onto the ground and held her hands behind her back, "So, are you free today? I need help with Prim's birthday and I wanna show you another pretty cool place."

Her anxiety pricked the back of her mind, 'Was it okay to ask these things?' Having a friend like this made her feel so out of depth for some reason. She'd made friends before in her other lives, at least she assumed so... This body had more hang ups than she had anticipated.

"I will be in the afternoon, and of course I'll come with you. I just have to finish the cakes and cookies for the day," he fiddled with his apron, his reddened hands catching Katniss's keen eyes.

"The cakes and cookies?" Katniss curiously inquired as her mind had become preoccupied with the burns on his hands.

Burns. They were common injuries in the Seam where they cooked and heated their homes with coal or firewood. Their mother had always said that the first treatment for a burn was cool water. It would draw out the heat from minor burns and soothe the damaged skin.

Then there were the numerous mine accidents. A family once brought in an unconscious young man that pleaded with her mother to help him. The fancy district doctor who was responsible for only treating the miners had written him off, told his family to take him home to die.

But they wouldn't accept this. He lay on their kitchen table, senseless to the world, half in pain and half not. Her mother had told them that if a burn was severe enough, the victim might not even feel pain because the nerves would be thoroughly destroyed.

Katniss had accidentally gotten a glimpse of the wound on his thigh; gaping, charred flesh, and burned clear down to the bone. She had ended up running from the house. Her father had to take her to the woods, and ended up hunting with her the entire day to try and stem the panic that overtook her. Her mother and Prim did their best, but the man died, just like the fancy doctor had said he would.

"I decorate and ice them, for the bakery," he proudly stated, startling Katniss back into reality.

She warmly grinned at him, 'That's news. What a lot of interesting things I'm learning about Peeta so far.'

Her mind froze before it whirred up again. Katniss realized that this probably meant that he either really liked art, or was just really good at it.

The cakes and cookies displayed in the Bakery windows always looked intricately beautiful or simply sublime, and never less than that. They always displayed all sorts of fancy cakes and cookies, with delicate flowers and pretty things painted in frosting or molded in fondant. Whenever Prim and Katniss would walk through the Merchant market, Prim always dragged her over to the display window to admire them. There's little beauty like that in District 12, though, so she'd never been able to deny her little sister this.

The best ones, in Prim's opinion, were the cakes decorated with delicate chocolate flowers. While Katniss was more partial to the simple vanilla pound cake topped with creme and berries that appeared every time the Harvest Festival rolled by. The cakes were usually for birthdays, anniversaries, and New Year's Day.

They knew that they'd never be able to afford one though. Each cake was priced at twenty credits each. Only the Capitol jobs in their district paid high enough of a salary for that to be affordable regularly. To that effect, Katniss guessed that even most Merchants couldn't afford it.

"Are your hands okay?" she inquired, worry awash on her face.

She was fairly certain that Peeta's family didn't have the burn cream needed to heal those burns; heal them like they never happened. It wasn't like Katniss's family had that burn cream either, but she recalled her mother mentioning about how effective it would've been if they had had it. She reached back into her memories and searched for what it could've cost. Katniss's thoughts soured. It was forty-five credits for a 166 g tin of rapid relief burn cream from the apothecary, Capitol grade. Even in the Hob, it was still costly, coming in at twenty credits from Shady Jim's stall.

He looked down at his pinkened hands, a flash of something flooded through his eyes. Before she could figure out what it might have been, a smiling mask was suddenly affixed onto Peeta's face, "Oh. Oh that. They'll be all right. Just an accident earlier this morning."

Peeta's grinning mask was actually quite charming, but that didn't disguise the fact that it was probably his mother that did this.

'You didn't accidentally get burns like that,' Katniss thought darkly.

She wrangled down the rage that burned at Peeta's mother, knowing that she couldn't really get revenge for her new friend. At least, not without consequences that she refused to pay.

She hid the grimace that bubbled at the edge of her lips with a crooked grin, "I'll come by later in the afternoon to pick you up."

His lips lifted up as his eyes sparkled, "Sure thing."

She nodded, slightly tugging at the end of her braid. Half turning, she gave him a short wave, "Okay, I'll see you later."

He cleared his throat, leaning against the doorway, "Hey. Thanks for doing what you did." His cheeks flushed slightly as he shifted from one foot to the next.

Katniss stopped and gazed back at him. A soft look morphed her features into something wholly attractive to Peeta, "You need to eat too. Besides, that's what friends are for." She faintly recalled that she'd done something similar in another life before that thought evaporated like mist over water.

She shrugged before offering him a grin and a wave goodbye over her shoulder. He waved back to her before heading back into the Bakery. His infatuation with Katniss was only further growing as they slowly built up their friendship.

While Katniss shoved her hands into her pants' pockets she pondered about what she could do to kill time without having to go into the woods. She figured that she had enough credits and food to last them for a day and a half at least, before she'd have to go back out past the fence to hunt/gather again.

Suddenly, she stopped alongside a worn pathway towards the Seam. The sun glinted down on her, the wind brought a cool breeze that hugged her before disappearing, as a smile spread across her face. She had a brilliant idea.

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It didn't take long for Katniss to dodge, duck, and sprint through the many pathways and back ways through the Seam to make it back to her house.

She looked around and noted that there was almost no one around her today. It was much more beneficial since she had a magical plan that she wanted to try out, and the less people that saw, the better. She shiftily looked here and there before darting in and out of the house with a large bundle of rune inscribed white pickets in her arms. If she got this down fast enough, the rest of her plan could easily be done without notice.

Slowly and surely, she stabbed each picket into a haphazard fence boarder around their house. It was a fairly big lot in comparison to the other houses in the Seam, but she figured that was because they were at the very edge of the Seam. Katniss was thankful that the ground was soft enough that it was fairly easy to put it all up. She knew normally, a proper fence would take at least three days, but it wasn't exactly a proper fence right now. All in all, it took her the better part of an hour to finish up what she had managed to do at all.

She let herself plop onto the ground and dug around her leather satchel for a couple handfuls of berries. As she steadily filled up her belly with berries, and the occasional edible flower, Katniss slowly regained her strength. She lifted herself up onto tired legs before placing her hands on her hips as she stared at what she had just accomplished. With a wave of her hand towards the pickets, she transfigured it into a tall white six foot fence that surrounded their house, with a sturdy gate at the front and back ends of their property.

Feeling only a marginal strain on her body, Katniss decided to continue.

She double checked that the runes to keep their house safe, unnoticed, and overly protected from anyone and anything set out to harm them, were in place, before she stared hard at the hovel that stood before her. She scrunched up her nose in slight disgust as she actually inspected it all from her vantage point. She'd lived in worse places before, but this place could hardly give them any shelter from the elements outside if the weather ever got bad. There were far too many holes and cracks everywhere for it to be acceptable.

She shook away her worries about whether or not she could do this before she snapped her fingers. Slowly the ramshackle shack before her twisted and contorted, loudly shuddering for a couple minutes before it finished its transformation. She slumped down and stared at it in wide eyed disbelief. A happy sigh escaped her mouth. She'd done it.

'Prim and mother will flip', she gleefully thought as she gazed at her hard work.

The house that stood in place of the previous hovel, shined against the streaming sunlight. It looked more like a house back from the early twenty-first century than now, but Katniss didn't care. It didn't need to be a futuristic home like the ones that they occasionally showed off during the Hunger Games Victory Tours located in the Capitol. This was more than Before-Katniss could've dreamed, and she knew that her new family would think along the same vein of thought.

Katniss knew that although the bones of the house were changed, the inside was probably going to be bare if she didn't try to conjure up anything. Stretching out until she cracked her back, Katniss headed towards the open door to her new home.

But before she could reach the dark green front door, Buttercup and the hens ran out of the house. She watched them for a moment before deciding that they were probably just playing chase or something. She shrugged and continued on her way, and noted that after she was finished with the house that she would probably need to do a couple more things before she picked Peeta up.

Katniss inwardly hummed as she inspected her work around her. The inside would definitely need more work, they'd need better plumbing, some working electricity to run the entire house, a chicken coop, a garden and a shed clinic for her mother. She cracked her knuckles, popped her back as she stretched and loosened her body up before a determined smile stretched across her face.

"I hope I can finish this all in time," she muttered under her breath as she began her arduous task.

In the back of her mind she knew, that while she did all this, she'd find out sooner rather than later if more or less of her powers had come through in this life.

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AN: Thank you to Anon for all your reviews. I appreciate it. Thank you to all those that favorited, followed, and viewed this story as well.


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Katniss slumped onto her newly transfigured couch as she wiped the sweat that gathered on her brow with her sleeve.

A frown marred her forehead as she silently basked in the contentment in having finished everything. She had transformed the inside of the house and had managed to conjure what little that she could. She couldn't conjure much, but she did manage to conjure up materials that she could transfigure. Anything else that she tried to conjure just left her tired and empty-handed.

Duplication had limitations in this body as well. She found that she couldn't duplicate anything more than a couple of times at once, otherwise, it didn't work at all.

Dishearteningly, she also found that she couldn't duplicate whatever the hell credits were made out of.

Transfiguration, charms, runes, and wards were the only things that easily came to her in this body. With this in mind, Katniss figured other magic was totally out of her reach in this body, but she was okay with that. What magic she could do was plenty to radically change the odds of her life. It would certainly put the odds in her favor.

She closed her eyes as she felt a cool breeze blow in through an open window.

The entire place smelt clean and fresh, rather than that damp old wood mildew smell that seemed to permeate her old house. The dark oak hardwood floors felt smooth and cool against her naked feet, and she slumped further into the dark green fabric couch that happily sat against one of the living room walls.

New white walls reflected the sunlight that streamed throughout her entire house, giving the whole place a cozy clean sort of feeling that didn't meld with the image that District 12 gave off.

Katniss let out a sigh and stared up at the ancient clock that she hung up in the living room. She didn't have the heart to transfigure it into something newer since her parents had bought that as the first fancy thing they could afford when they had gotten married.

Katniss shook her head and reluctantly pulled herself out of her comfy position. Standing and looking over at her finished work, a swell of pride bloomed in her chest.

"I did good," her voice echoed out in her new home. Her cheeks dimpled, as she continued surveying her house.

There was an actual wood fireplace in the newly created living room, and empty shelves lined the wall around the hearth.

She inwardly winced at how they didn't have any picture frames for the blank wall to her left. Or anything to fill the shelves with, if she was being honest with herself. Pictures, art, books, knick-knacks and the like were a luxury around here, so she understood the reason as to why. Still, though, that didn't make her feel any better.

The entranceway was visible from where she stood, and she could even spot a bit of the stairs. Her thoughts churned as she hummed inwardly. She'd already done a walkthrough after she finished transfiguring everything. They only really lacked more furniture, personal items, and knick-knacks to fill the house. That wasn't too big of deal though.

Their house finally had most of the things she had desperately missed in her last couple of lives. Working appliances and walls that provided some form of shelter. Magic certainly did wonders.

She still had to charm, and probably carve runes, in all the appliances and taps for them to work in the way that she wanted them to though. Katniss idly wondered if she could just get any of the other things that she wanted at the Hob. She knew that she had enough credits to buy at least one of each item, and that would all help in the long run. That is if she didn't use it all up for something else first.

She walked through the house once more, trailing her fingers across the white marble countertops of the kitchen and taking in the shining stainless steel appliances that glimmered back at her. She'd always wanted a ceramic farmhouse sink in her last life. It was ironic that she was able to have that now rather than then, considering she lived in a farmhouse back then...

The memory seemed foggy and faded away like mist in the wind when she tried to focus on it.

She shook her head clearing her thoughts as she continued walking around. She made sure to close and lock up all the new sturdy windows, pulling the curtains shut against the bright sunlight. She double-checked that all the toilets, sinks, taps, and showers were all in working order before she headed upstairs.

Her new attic room was spacious and sparsely furnished, but she figured that she'd address that later on along with the rest of the house.

Dashing down the stairs, she was glad that she'd chosen to only put down carpet in the bedrooms. The stairs looked better in the same dark oak hardwood in comparison to the light beige carpets in the bedrooms.

Katniss quickly popped into the basement and inspected the rooms that she'd made down there. Humming a random song under her breath while she walked from room to room. Ideas rolled around in her head.

Eventually, she decided that she would convert one of the four rooms in the basement, not including the mechanical room, into a meat locker and the other into a library. She didn't know what to do with the other room by the basement bathroom, but she figured that Prim or her mother would have an idea.

She sprinted up the stairs, two steps at a time, and breathlessly smiled once she reached the main entranceway. This whole house would be like a kick to the face to her mother and sister. Plus, it would also solidify the fact that she really was magical to her mother. Katniss had an inkling feeling that she only sort of thought she was magical, but not to the extent that she really was.

All in all, the once 650 square foot shanty house was transfigured and charmed to become 1400 square feet instead. And that was including both the front and back porch on the exterior of the house.

She checked up on the time and found that she probably had an hour more before Peeta would be finished at the Bakery.

Rolling up her sleeves she took out a transfigured dagger, its previous form being that of one of the old rusty butter knives that they had lying around, and started to carve runes into the appliances and taps. The runes would make them work off of the ambient magic that her new home gave off, and would finally give them a much better chance at life. It wasn't like she could hook up electricity in her house to power everything, so this was the best choice all around.

Katniss also decided to add protective charms on all the appliances and taps. It would be nigh impossible to break them now, not without a lot of effort and work anyway.

The vanishing charms that she layered over all the drains would vanish all the waste products that came into contact with them. While all the taps were charmed to summon fresh water into their pipes every time anyone turned a tap on. A bonus that she loved, was the fact that they could now have both hot and cold water that tasted clean and not metallic.

She slumped onto the floor with an umph before staring at the clock again, impatience written on her face. The clock struck three and Katniss's irritation melted off her face, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. The Bakery would be closed for the weekend now, and she knew that Peeta would finally be off.

She dusted herself off and retied her braid before pulling herself up off of the floor. Katniss stopped by the main entranceway and stared at her reflection in their new hallway mirror. She licked her thumb and swiped the smudge of dirt that had managed to streak her cheek before shooting herself an encouraging smile.

"I can do this. Plus, I need a break from all this magical use," she murmured under her breath before a wry grin flashed onto her face.

She looked around and clucked her tongue before nodding to herself. This would be good enough for now.

She walked out of the front door and made sure to tightly lock it behind her. The new screen door thudded behind her, snugly fitting in front of their new green front door.

The chickens clucked near her as they hopped about on the porch. Buttercup gave her a lazy look from where he was laying down on before putting his head back down onto his paws. He seemed to be happier basking in the warm afternoon sun rather than chasing after the chickens.

Katniss chuckled under her breath as she leisurely made her way back towards the Merchant market with a bounce in her step. She didn't want to admit it, especially not to herself, but she was rather excited to spend some time with her new friend. She swung her arms as a cool breeze blew past her, the sun warmed her dark hair and she deeply inhaled the scent of trees, coal, dirt, and the musk of people that seemed to linger in the Seam. It wasn't the most pleasant of odors, but it wasn't as bad as other things she had smelt before.

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The people that lingered in the Merchant Market were few and far between around this time, which made it easy for Katniss to thread her way to the back of the Bakery rather quickly.

A few people stared at her now and again, but she resolutely ignored them. Those that shot her derisive looks just further urged her to meet up with her new friend just to spite them.

'Who the hell were these people to judge where I go, or who I see?' Katniss inwardly spat at them in her head. 'Assholes', she grimly thought to herself.

The smell of fresh-baked bread wafted over to Katniss and made her recall how they first met.

She felt warmer on the inside and didn't quite understand why. Katniss did her best to put those thoughts behind her as she walked closer to the bakery. A golden glow spilled out of the back kitchen window, which distracted her momentarily. She spotted Peeta leaning against an old chestnut tree when she heard him clear his throat.

Katniss hesitantly gave him a short wave hello.

He shot her a smile and gave her a friendly wave back. He looked good with or without his apron, she idly thought.

Feeling bolstered by his reply she jogged over to him, "Hey. Ready to go?"

Her eyes lit up when she saw him and that made Peeta feel as though he was on top of the world. As long as she kept looking at him like that, any sort of hurt his mother or the other townies gave him was worth it, he mentally vowed.

Peeta looked a little haggard, but gave her a genuine smile that reached his eyes, "Yup."

They wove in and around the people that lingered in the Merchant Market. She walked closer to Peeta than she probably should've, considering some of the nastier looks she got from a couple of the Merchant women. Peeta didn't seem to care though, and that seemed more important to her. She inwardly hoped that the nasty looks the women had sent her way could poison them somehow. It's not like the world needed more assholes anyways.

He gently bumped his shoulder against hers as they walked and pulled his arms up behind his head as he walked, "So what did you end up doing while I was icing up a storm?" Peeta shot her a cheerful smile.

She inwardly snorted and thought about how almost nothing got Peeta down. Well...at least from what she could see so far.

Katniss shrugged and gave him a blase grin, "Oh this and that. I did some stuff at my house."

Peeta paused in his steady stride and let his arms fall to his sides, "Yeah?" The flash of concern on his face didn't go unnoticed by Katniss.

A warmer grin crinkled her eyes, "Mhmm. How's the burn?"

She gently poked at the burns that she could still clearly see. He hadn't even bothered to wrap it up. She wondered if he either forgot or didn't have any medicine or bandages to wrap it up in. Medical supplies weren't exactly cheap around their district. She stopped and stared him down, determined to find the answers that she wanted.

"Eh. It'll get better," he tried to wave off the concern that Katniss was intent to focus on him. He started up his steady stride again and called out to her when he noticed that she didn't start walking with him again, "What?"

Katniss scowled and caught up with him and took his hand, "Does that happen often?"

Peeta flushed at the contact and easily followed along behind Katniss, "What?" He dragged just slightly behind her, much like a lifeboat behind a tugboat.

She snorted and shot him an unimpressed look, "Don't be stupid. You know what I mean."

A sheepish look coated his features and pinched his lips, "Ahh...Ummm...Sometimes. You know how my mom is...Everyone knows how she is, probably."

Katniss faced forwards again and avoided Peeta's eyes as she heatedly muttered, "Doesn't make it right."

Peeta quietly acquiesced, "I guess."

The slight shame that tinged his voice made Katniss's heartache. It wasn't his fault. Or any of their faults for how their parents treated them. God damn it.

They swiftly made their way to a nearby alley hand in hand. The Hob Market was reachable by further ducking behind another alleyway that leads directly there without a chance that someone might have seen them. The numerous back ways and alleyways that lead to and from the Hob were handy. Dirty, smelly, and quite shady, but handy all the same.

A tall soot encrusted building lay before them. The smell of greasy food wafted from the broken glass panes that dotted the tall warehouse. It did nothing to hide the smell of wet coal, dust, shit, or piss that currently encircled them. It's grey smeared glass roof glinted only every slightly against the sunlight that beamed down on them. Loud sounds echoed towards them. The sounds of Hob Merchants, power tools, and the many people that were ahead of them reached past the closed doors.

They finally reached it. The Hob.

Katniss wondered if her father would've approved of her bringing her new friend here. She'd never really had a friend before. A real friend that she trusted enough, or liked enough to want to bring them into this part of her life. It was a weird feeling, but she'd been having a lot of weird feelings lately, so she pushed it aside. She could think about it all later on.

Peeta looked up at the tall grungy looking warehouse and whistled, "Is this it?"

Katniss shot him a smirk, "I know it doesn't look like much from this side, but trust me. It's better inside."

He shrugged and nodded, "Whatever you say."

Katniss rolled her eyes and tugged on his hand, "Come on, let's go."

Peeta obligingly let Katniss pull her along and easily agreed, "Okay"

And with that, they entered past the tall red doors and into the throng of people within the Hob.


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

The Hob was crowded when they got there.

There were always crowds of people and an excess of noise in the Hob. Each stall seller invited customers over with loud slogans and advertisements about their wares. Some stall owners were loading up their stores and some stalls seemed to be almost empty, their wares selling fast. The exchange between buyer and seller happened around them at almost every moment.

Every stall, while interesting looking and fairly large, was faded and pockmarked. A little coal was smeared here and there, but that stuff got everywhere in District 12.

Katniss noticed that Peeta's face crumpled as he caught a whiff of the air when they ventured further in. She snorted slightly at how alike his expression had been to hers when she first came in here too.

Tears pricked her eyes, and she hastily blinked them away. For a moment, the little girl and her father that walked past them reminded her of her own father. Just clutching his hand as she skipped along, taking in the milling throng of people and the abundance of stalls.

She breathed in the aroma that the Hob gave off. Her nose crinkled slightly at the swirling scents. Smoky lanterns, dust, coal, grease, cooked food, flowers, spices, trash, and the sour musk of sweating people drew into her lungs. Underlining that were other heavy smells that she didn't quite recognize. Still, it was an oddly comforting smell that brought back nice memories of her previous visits here. The smell itself wasn't all too pleasant though.

Parents gripped ahold of their children's hands, crowds of people moved in all directions, pushing and shoving. The families among them probably feared that they might be separated and lost.

People hustled and bustled, bumping into those around them, toes were trodden on, and as they moved forward smells of freshly slaughtered meat hanging from hooks assaulted them. The scent of baked goods and cooked stew reached them soon after, prompting Peeta to swivel his head this way and that. Surprise clearly colored his face.

Katniss chuckled to herself before giving him a cheeky look, "Didn't think other people baked?"

Heat perfused Peeta's face as he muttered, "Not professionally, no."

A giggle burst past her lips before she could help it, "Wait till we get deeper." She kept a firm hold of him as they surged through the crowd, like a hot knife through butter.

Peeta's lips tilted as he nodded muttering under his breath, "Can't wait." Katniss snorted out a laugh and didn't bother looking back at him as they continued onward.

The odor of manure and chicken droppings, caged chickens, tethered pigs, and lambs in pens wafted around them as they passed by new stalls Katniss didn't recognize. New stalls always popped up now and again in the Hob, but animal stalls were always special. She inwardly made a note to bring her little sister here sooner rather than later. She'd be over the moon over those animals, even with their foul scents. Now if only there were more pet stalls, it would really make Prim's year.

The crowd kicked up dust and coal as stall holders hollered out their special deals, customers haggled around them over various prices, people gossiped in huddles, and a cacophony of sound surrounded them. Bulging bags swung now and again into peoples legs. And they even passed by a couple people with wheel barrels of stuff hidden away in sacks. Everything kept shifting form, but staying the same at once. It was interesting to see the Hob at its' busiest. It always seemed like the entire place was an actual living entity when it was this fully packed.

Peeta curiously looked around after his nose had finally adjusted to the scents around him, "This place is huge."

Katniss nodded empathetically, "Oh, I know. It's way bigger than the Merchant Market. My dad used to say that this place in its entirety could probably house a small soccer stadium."

"Huh. Wait... There's more than just this building then?" His eyes widened comically as he took everything in once more.

She tilted her head and tapped her lip in thought, "Definitely, there is an outer portion of the Hob, which we're not going to today, and there's supposedly another building connected to this one now. I've never gone there though, so I don't quite know how that place looks."

Peeta drew back and blinked rapidly before stuttering out, "How hasn't...How...uhh...This place is way too big to hide."

Katniss let out a loud laugh, her eyes crinkled in delight, "That's the best part though. Even the higher ups, the ones that matter, don't care about it."

Peeta let out a low whistle and hesitantly murmured, "So, are we breaking the law and thwarting authority then?"

Katniss let out another bark of a laughter before briefly shooting him a half smile, "Yes and no. To a degree only since they don't really care. They need stuff too. Capitol toadies are human too. As to the other half of your question...Well, take it from someone who's done this her whole life. Poaching, trading on the black market, and mocking the Capitol in the woods..."

She put her hands behind her head while they walked and shrugged her shoulders, "Almost everyone around here does it. I mean, most people in District 12, on the Seam side at least, are either brave enough or old enough to take a trip to buy something at the Hob. It's just like a regular trip to buy something at the Merchant market. Expect it's illegal. Technically. And also cheaper. And has a way bigger variety. Anyway, I think you'll like it the more we see of it."

He shrugged and carelessly smiled, "If you're sure."

Katniss's eyes crinkled as they pushed against the crowd towards the center market place of the Hob Market, "I'm pretty sure."

Peeta and Katniss walked further and further into the Hob. They passed by many various Hob stalls and Katniss subtly gazed at all the different wares, hoping to find something that Prim might like.

After a while the two children reached the center of the Hob. A large circular space faced them with a large mismatched stone fountain surrounded by makeshift benches and uprooted plants placed in mismatched clay pots. She caught sight of a dark redhead and pushed past the people that scattered here and there around the fountain. Katniss knew for sure that, that was where they needed to go.

Rusty Barb and her family were very visibly different. All red headed, freckled, and paler than the townies were, because of this they stuck out like sore thumbs amongst the sea of dark hair, and smatterings of blond hair here and there. She always wondered why they looked the way they did, but even when she had asked her father while he was still alive, he had no answers he was willing to give.

There were rumors though. Some of the rumors didn't make any sense. One was that they were really Natives from the Dark Days, but those were just stories. But then again, so was magic, so she didn't rule it out in her mind. On the other hand, there were other rumors that Rusty Barb and her family had escaped from District 5. Katniss found that, that was more plausible than the former.

They stopped at a deep purple stall with tall black velvet stands where various pieces of jewelry glinted in the light of the Hob. A brightly shined copper sign pronounced that this was 'The Golden Goose'.

Katniss inwardly bounced. 'This was it,' she triumphantly thought. This was the one jewelry stand in all of District 12, and it was open again. They'd been closed for a while after the mining accident, but that was to be expected. Rusty Barb had lost her husband, Bernard, in the same accident that swallowed up her father.

There'd been a lot of families that mourned that day. Families that she knew that would've helped her, had they been there. The last time she'd been begging around here, as she and her family starved, she recalled how some people around her had complained about the many stalls that had closed up shop for a long time. She couldn't blame them though. She could relate to the choking grief that made it hard to breath. Let alone work.

She shook away those dark thoughts as her eyes traced the open stall in front of her.

No one knew how they got all the jewelry that they sold, but no one really wanted to ask. It was better to just accept that it was there with wares to buy if you had enough money. Rusty Barb, like Rooba, wasn't one to bargain with, but she always gave a fair price for what they sold. They had necklaces, bracelets, broaches, pins, earrings, rings of all sorts and more. Rusty Barb and her brood sold them all. It was also the only place people could get wedding rings at a reasonably affordable price. They were a big seller at this stall. One of the few trends from the Capitol that all the districts agreed with.

Katniss tossed a little wave at Rusty Barb, "Heya Barb."

She glanced up from a slim necklace and pendant that she was working on. Rusty Barb pulled down the magnifying glasses that made her eye look bug eyed and strange, and shot the two of them a smirk, "Need a couple rings? Seems like you're still a little young for that though, KitKat."

Peeta slunk in to stand closer to her and gave the tall redhead with an eye patch a shy wave. Rusty Barb eyed him up and down like meat at the market. Her dark green eye seemed to bore into him like an ice pick. It made him internally cringe. He didn't know what kind of impression he was giving, but after a moment she seemed satisfied.

A red flush spread across Katniss's face before she could stamp down the embarrassment that surged through her. She rapidly waved her hands in front of her and shook her head, "No! No. Not that. I need some necklaces. The sturdier the better. Please."

Rusty Barb chuckled and shrugged, "Alright. Just so you know though, we got a special on rings, just for you though."

She turned and called out past a couple tall velvet stands, "Ginger, sweetie, bring out the chains."

"The fancy ones, mama?" A chirpy voice called out past the velvet stands and the dark purple swaths of fabric that hid the back of their stall.

Rusty Barb paused and gave the two kids in front of her a considering once over before nodding resolutely, "Yeah, Ginge, get the fancy ones."

It didn't take long for a petite redhead with a riot of curls to poke out past the makeshift curtains and hand Rusty Barb a fairly large case. Ginger kissed her mother on the cheek and gave Katniss a welcoming smile, totally ignoring Peeta, before disappearing into the back of the stall again.

She settled the case on the table in front of them, and gently unlocked and lifted up the glass case, "There you are, KitKat, sturdy necklaces. Mind you, these ones aren't cheap. The cheapest ones we have are five credits each and the intricate ones are fifteen credits each. Have at it."

Katniss nodded and perused for just a moment before she picked out four slim gold necklaces, they were priced at eight credits each. When she roughly tugged at each end, they stubbornly held together. They would be perfect. She gave Rusty Barb a sheepish look when she felt the stall owner's curious gaze, "How about twenty credits and a bath mouth fish for these?"

Rusty Barb hummed for a moment and shook her head, a fond smile weaving onto her face, "Make it twenty credits and two large bath mouth fish. And that's just because I like you."

A bright smile surged onto Katniss's face as she slightly bounced on the heels of her feet. She hurriedly handed over her payment to a slightly bemused red head, and quickly headed away. Dragging Peeta behind her, she hollered out a happy goodbye while Rusty Barb called out for her to come back again whenever she wanted. Rusty Barb's brood had a fondness for large mouth bass fish, and Katniss would definitely take note of it.

Slipping into a slightly deserted walk way between the various stalls, she pulled Peeta with her into the slight shadows. It would provide enough privacy from normal patrons and any pickpockets. Katniss rummaged around her pockets and pulled out the amulets. Quickly and deftly, she slid one pendant onto one gold necklace chain one by one until they were all paired up. She donned on her own necklace before handing over Peeta's with a crooked smile.

Peeta flushed before gently taking it from her slightly wobbling hands. He shot her a warm grin before slipping on his necklace, "Hey. Thanks again."

Katniss shook her head and waved her hand, "Don't worry about it. I wish I could do more."

She glanced at his burnt hands for a moment before roving her eyes to the crowd that passed by. A slight blush tinted her cheeks. He was officially the only person to make her feel this funny bustling feeling that kept making her cheeks flush. She didn't quite know whether she should be irritated or happy at that notion, and decided to leave it alone. For now.

Peeta stared hard at her face and softly murmured, "No, you shouldn't. This is more than enough."

Katniss coughed and tugged at his wrist, carefully avoiding his injury, "I guess. Anyway, lets go. There's still more of the Hob you should see."

And with that, they continued on their way through the various merchant stalls and walkways around the Hob.

The crowd of people around them was like a river of people even in the late afternoon light. Sounds of music and the many voices of sellers and patrons alike surrounded them. It didn't deter the two children from their perusal at everything though. Peeta's determination against the crowd made Katniss hum in happiness. She was glad that this didn't seem to bother him.

A dark viridian stall caught Katniss's eye. It's curtains were finally drawn open now after months of being firmly shut.

It seemed to be overflowing with produce, and some of the fruits and vegetables almost touched the coal dusted ground from their tilted barrels. Products seemed to overflow from the stall. A dark messy headed figure sat slumped on something resembling a stool nearby, and the sight of him made her heart clench. He was one of the few people in District 12 with skin that resembled the dark chocolate on Hunger Games commercials.

She swiftly drew them towards the stall. A large wooden sign with a careful cursive proclaimed that this was 'Bramwell's Grocery'. He'd been one of her late father's last living friends when he was alive. It was good to see him out and about. Well, most of him anyways.

He hobbled up off of his improvised bucket turned stool at the sight of her, "Ho, ho! Howdy girl. I'm sorry about your da." A sad smile washed across his face. He leaned onto his new cane and ruffled her hair. The stump that was his left leg seemed to burn into her mind.

The mines hadn't just taken her father and uncle. They'd taken so many others as well, and any that survived were left more than just burned in its wake.

A tsunami of hatred flashed through her for a moment. She abhorred those mines with a burning desire for its destruction. One day. Maybe not now, and maybe not soon...but she vowed to get rid of the damnable mines. There must be another way to power everything other than coal. Thoughts and ideas brushed across the back of her mind, but she shoved them aside. She shoved away the hate and the ideas, and did her best to focus on the now.

She took in a deep steadying breath and gave Bramwell a shaky smile. Her heart clenched again. If he'd been around here when she was begging for scraps, she knew that he would've given them free groceries.

If only he hadn't been busted up healing in the miner's healing wing up in the Justice Building for months and months. She honestly thought that he might've died too after the second month. People from that accident, the ones that supposedly survived, dropped like flies after a while. It was a miracle that he'd only lost his left leg.

"Thanks, mister Bramwell... Sorry about your leg," Katniss murmured quietly. A sad solemn look grazed her face.

Bramwell shook his head and let out a barking laugh that seemed slightly bitter, "Least it was my leg and not my life." He sighed as a fond look came across his face.

His bushy brows raised slightly at the sight of Peeta, "Finally found yahrself a friend, eh Kitty?"

Katniss proudly beamed back at him, "Yeah."

Bramwell nodded at Peeta and leaned further into his cane, shoving his hand out towards Peeta he warmly smiled, "Good on yah, lad. My name's Bramwell. Any friend of Kitty's is a friend of mine."

"Hi, I'm... I'm Peeta," Peeta gently gripped his hand in return, resolutely shaking it once before quickly letting go.

He did his best to temper the embarrassment that flared in him from meeting all these people that seemed to weigh who he was without really knowing him. It was nice meeting all these people that Katniss knew and felt that were important enough to her for her to know, but it felt odd. Kind of like how his older brother had described meeting his girlfriend's family for the first time. Were these people her extended family?

He grinned at him, "Howdy Peeta. What can I do for yah two?"

Katniss looked down and kicked at the dirt slightly, "We're low on supplies. Do you think you could help us?"

Bramwell let out a breath and coughed slightly, "Well, yah're like family, but don't tell no one I'm giving yah such steep discounts. Bad for business. Go on and look around. I'd help yah, but as yah can see. I've been having the devil's time maneuvering myself."

She shot him a beatific grin, "Thanks, mister Bramwell."

"Think none of it, Kitty. Off with the both of yah. Baskets are by that fabric wall, if yah need it," he carelessly waved them in and took a seat back onto his bucket stool.

The two children grabbed a basket each, and pored over the various products in Bramwell's stall. They found scrumptious fruits that didn't grow in the meadow, large vegetables, spices, sugar, canned goods, toiletries, and much more than they thought would be there. The entire stall was packed and smelled much better than the others around it. They loaded up their baskets with what they needed and moved back towards the front of the stall.

They easily traded six of the other fish they caught yesterday, and twenty credits each for salt, sugar, spices, flour, oil, toiletries, a small sack of rice, canned meats, pasta noodles, canned sauces, along with fresh vegetables and fruits that they couldn't find in the woods. Bramwell even threw in some chocolate, coffee, and cereal at a steep discount. Neither Katniss nor Peeta had ever tried either, but he assured them that they would love it. He deftly stowed away all their chosen products into two large sturdy canvas bags.

Katniss eyed the bags and hummed, "These bags are new."

Bramwell let out a deep chuckle and shared a cheeky smile with her, "Yeah. New merchants I met the other day. Twill and Spruce; new tailors and fabric makers. They were nice enough to help me out to my stall. Gave em some produce as thanks then they gave me a big packet of these bags. I wanted to charge people for em, but for yah and yahr friend, they're free."

She frowned, but the smile that tugged at her lips ruined it, "Oh. Mister Bramwell."

He carelessly shrugged and pushed the bags toward them, "It's alright. Go on. Yah probably have more to do around here. Give my love to yah mother and Prim though, will yah Katniss?"

She resolutely nodded and held the bag against her chest, "Of course."

Peeta hefted his own bag into his arms and nodded at Bramwell, "It was nice meeting you, mister Bramwell."

Bramwell's eye crinkled as he gave them a short wave goodbye, "Nice meeting yah too kid. Take care of Kitty! Come back any time."

They stole away towards an empty alcove between the Hob grocer's stall and behind a closed stall.

Katniss looked around and pulled him closer into the darkness. Peeta gave her a curious look, but just before he could ask what she was doing. Katniss crouched down with her grocery bag.

He bit his lips in confusion as she opened up her satchel and proceeded to put the very large grocery bag in it. He gaped at her as she gently took his grocery bag from him. Peeta was too shocked to really say much of anything as she put his purchases into her satchel as well.

Peeta's eyebrows rose to his eyes, "How?"

He'd suspected it from before, but an outright display in front of him shook him slightly. It was just like the stories Old Nan used to tell everyone when she was the appointed district Kindergarten teacher.

Katniss gave him a hesitant look before gently holding his hands, "I promise to tell you later. Just not now. Okay?" She looked this way and that as though someone might catch them.

He looked down at their clasped hands and grunted out, "Okay...Fine. You swear?"

A solemn look gathered onto her face, "I swear on my father's grave."

He pulled away from her and leaned against a nearby wooden wall. A deep sigh welled up in him as he looked at her with tired eyes, "Well, okay... On a slightly more normal note, how does everyone get all this stuff? I could've sworn that more than half of all of this was in the illegal portion of the warning pamphlets they give out at the beginning of the school year. Besides that, there are so many people that don't look like they're from here if you get what I mean."

Katniss dusted off her pants absentmindedly and moved over to lean beside him, "Firstly, those pamphlets are stupid."

She blew a strand of hair out of her face before biting her inner cheek, "Secondly, I'm not actually sure, to be honest. From what my dad told me when I asked him, it's a combination of people smuggling things from all over."

Giving him a blase shrug, she continued, "And thirdly, the people that we met look different because they're not from our district. A lucky few escape their districts and tend to hide out here. That's usually why we get new Hob merchants. The Peacekeepers and the higher ups around here don't say anything for some reason, and we all just accept it. Personally, I think Shady Jim has something to do with it."

Peeta stood up as his eyes took in the milling crowd that passed by the alcove, "Shady Jim? Who's he?"

A mischievous grin tugged onto her face as she pulled on Peeta's wrist. They slowly moved out of the alcove and merged with the moving crowd, "Oh you'll see. We'll stop by his stall later. He has the biggest and most interesting stall here... I think he might have strange connections or something. He can get you almost anything you want, if you have the money or something to trade that he might want. And he's been around here forever. No one actually knows where he came from."

"Where to now?" He stumbled slightly and matched her pace till they were walking side by side again.

She looked this way and that, scanning the different stalls, "We keep looking around. Gotta find something for Prim still."

He let out a small laugh, "Alright. Lead on then."

So far so good. Well...more like a little weird, but good all the same. Peeta was happy that he got to go here with Katniss. It was certainly eye opening, in many different ways.

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AN: Thank you for those that read, followed, and or favorited my story.

A special thanks goes to the reviewers NatRose17 and TwinK21. You guys are awesome and I'm glad that you're enjoying the story.


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Market stalls lined the route that they traveled down as splotches of sunlight danced through the dirty panes of the Hob roof. Light highlighted the dust that blew up into the air now and again.

Lovers strolled past them hand in hand heedless of the dirt and grit that clung onto their pants and shoes. People occasionally paused along the walkway casually browsing the various wares. Mothers hustled and bustled doing their errands as they dragged their children behind them.

Loud voices carried overhead as patrons haggled over the price of this and that.

Both children were drawn to the slight bit of space nearby a fairly large stall that people steered around. A couple people were seated around the makeshift bar table that encircled the stall. Some sat and ate on rickety rusted stools, while others stood as they slurped from their bowls. The stall in question had a great big neon sign that impossibly lit up blinking 'Greasy Sae's Spoon'. The sumptuous smell that wafted their way seemed to drag them further towards her stall.

The stall owner was a old bony woman with tanned leathery skin, laugh lines, and crinkly eyes that showed years of past smiles on her face. She was wrapped up in a dirty apron and a dark dress, but still managed to look sort of homey. Her riot of white curls was pulled back into a low braid covered by a tattered handkerchief crisscrossed with neat stitches here and there.

Greasy Sae sold bowls of hot soup and stew from large kettles hanging over a decently sized fire pit. And nailed onto one of the posts that held her stall sign, was a little note that stated that all soups and stews came with some paraffin per bowl. She refused to sell anything else.

Greasy Sae looked up from stirring one of her many kettles and swiveled their way. She squinted and adjusted her thin wire glasses, her grey eyes narrowed at them for a moment before realization blossomed onto her face.

A smile steadily crinkled her eyes and exposed her crooked yellowing teeth, "Katniss! And strange blond boy. Welcome! I'm sorry about your papa, little one. On a brighter note, would you two care for some soup or are you here to trade some stuff?"

Katniss nodded towards her, a small smile tugged at her lips, "Thanks, Sae. This is my new friend Peeta, and I'd like to trade some stuff."

She tilted her head towards them in return, "Nice to meet you, other little one. You two sure you don't want some soup?" Greasy Sae gestured to the various large metal kettles that seemed to simmer away over her neat fire pit.

A shy grin flickered onto Peeta's face as he gave her a little wave, "It's nice to meet you too, miss Sae."

Greasy Sae let out a horse like laugh and threw her head back just a bit. She straightened herself, her eyes twinkled, "Just for that, your soups are on me." She bustled away from them towards a nearby shelf that held a bunch of bowls and spoons.

Katniss bit her lip and called out, "Well if that's the case, sure, but none of your house special for him. Please."

Greasy Sae raised a brow and chuckled before shaking her head, "Sure, little one."

Almost everyone liked her house special. Well, those that didn't know her secret ingredient anyways. Can't please all the people though. She went over to a large kettle and ladled some soup into two wooden bowls with a flourish.

Peeta frowned and murmured poking her gently on her shoulder, "Why?"

She sheepishly looked at him and muttered, "I'll tell you later."

He shrugged and accepted it easily enough, "Okay."

He figured that Katniss was much more private than he'd initially thought, but he could wait. It didn't mean that he wasn't a little irritated though.

Greasy Sae made her way back towards them balancing two wooden bowls of hot soup in one arm. She plucked two metal cups from under the bar table with her other hand, and poured water into each cup just as she placed down the bowls. She did it with an easy grace that showed that she'd been doing this for more than a couple decades.

"Two chicken, rice and vegetable soups for the both of you. Buns are still fresh. All of it's hot still, lucky that you two got here while there was still some left. Enjoy, little ones," with a grin she plucked out two balls of bread and two small rolled balls of parafin from a little table beside her, and gently placed them onto two little napkins beside them. With a wink she moved away from them to tend to another patron of hers.

Slowly, they both drank their savory soup and munched on their bread rolls. Not long after, Greasy Sae happily took half of the greens that they had left from what they'd collected yesterday. In return, she gave them a couple large chunks of paraffin each.

Katniss knew that they might've done a tad bit better elsewhere, but she wanted to make an effort to keep on good terms with Greasy Sae. She was the only one who could be consistently counted on to buy wild game no one else wanted, like wild dog or raccoons. Both her father and her had never hunted them on purpose, but when you're attacked and you take out a dog or two, well, meat was meat.

Large globs of meat floated in and around one of the large open kettles Greasy Sae was stirring nearby. Chopped potatoes and carrots peaked up from the dark orange brown soup. Dots of oil swirled through it all. She hummed happily as both children leaned a closer towards her.

Peeta sniffed at the spiced savory aroma that tickled his nose, "What kind of meat is in it, ma'am?"

"Once meat's in the soup, boy, I call it beef," Greasy Sae whispered with a conspiratorial wink.

Peeta tugged on a reluctant smile as his cheeks paled slightly. Suddenly, it didn't smell as good as he initially thought it had.

At that, Katniss nervously laughed and tugged Peeta away from Greasy Sae's stall with a wave and a quick thanks. She figured that it was probably wild dog stew today in one of the many kettles she had, and guessed that Peeta wouldn't have the stomach for that.

Greasy Sae cheerily waved back and called out, "Come back again."

As they walked away Peeta worriedly wondered, "What did she mean? Did she really mean...?"

Katniss gave him a hesitant expression, "No one in the Seam would turn up their nose at a good wild dog stew. Meat's meat when you're hungry, but some folks, like the Peacekeepers, can afford to be a little choosier. So it becomes 'beef'. S'why I said no to the daily special, just in case it was on the menu."

He frowned in thought and muttered, "Huh. Thanks, Katniss."

She could clearly see that he wasn't into eating wild dog. It wasn't like it was someone's pet Fido, but they didn't really have that problem in town. Right? That's probably the only reason why he was making that face. He'd never seen a wild dog, and she didn't really want him to. There was definitely a difference between Fido and a wild dog that was trying to eat your face. She inwardly shivered at the mere memory of it.

Peeta tugged onto the hand that gently held his and urgently muttered, "Hey, wait. Isn't that an actual Peacekeeper?"

He caught sight of the stark white Peacekeeper uniform against the sea of dark dirt smudged clothes that everyone else around them wore. Panic slowly pooled in the pit of his stomach.

Katniss turned her head to where he was staring and squinted before nodding, "Mhmm. Yeah, that's Peacekeeper Purina. She eats regularly at Greasy Sae's."

Purina caught them looking at her and threw them a little wave hello. She hurriedly moved past them towards Greasy Sae's stall. The other patrons didn't even bat an eye at her being a Peacekeeper and instead seemed to welcome her with warm smiles and waves of hello. Hell, even Greasy Sae didn't have a hint of worry written on her face at the sight of the white uniformed lady.

Peeta hummed in thought while Katniss led them through a throng of people.

The stench of freshly butchered meat hung in the air. As they strolled closer, Katniss spotted the Hob butcher's stall. Fresh plucked birds hung upside down his stall, newly dried blood was splattered on the white drop sheets he always had around.

A large crowd hung around the Hob butcher today. Tell tale signs of a big auction were there. And in the Hob, the standard protocol for someone showing up with a wild turkey for bidding was for everybody to bid on the drumsticks and cutlets. From the looks of it, it looked like Gale had miraculously caught two fat wild turkeys today. An old burly Peacekeeper with a bottle of white liquor in one hand stood out amongst the crowd. He was probably there to bid on the turkey too.

Peeta bit his lip and asked in a hushed voice, "Isn't that the head Peacekeeper?"

Katniss got a better look at the Peacekeeper, a scowl dragged across her face, "Yup. That's Old Peacekeeper Cray. He always pays well for meat, especially for wild turkey, but no one likes him. He has a vile habit of luring starving young women into his bed for money. During really bad times, the hungriest gather at his door at nightfall vying for the chance to earn a few coins to feed their families by selling their bodies."

Disgust at the mere sight of him welled up onto Katniss's face. If looks could kill, he'd be buried in the seventh pit of hell.

A disdainful expression flitted across Peeta's face as his jaw tightened, "Huh..."

Despite his hands aching and stinging, he still clenched his fists. He'd never wanted to hit someone before, but the urge surged in him.

Just the thought of someone. Someone like Katniss. Someone like Prim... Just the thought of that happening to people like them, helpless to the machinations of a place and people that were supposed to take care of them. Those stupid flyers stating that the Capitol would always be there to help, and that Peacekeepers were supposed to be their protectors were a bunch of bullshit.

Katniss misinterpreted his expression and gently held onto his arm. Her voice hushed as a deep sadness shone in her eyes, "Yeah, but necessary for some folks." Her heart clenched at that thought. She'd had to do that once upon a time in another life. People were monsters more than she wanted to admit.

She tugged the two of them away from the bidding crowd. Just the sight of Old Cray made her irritated and angry. Peeta kept up to her fast pace and soon the Hob butcher's stall was obscured by a sea of people. The thought of Old Cray and those poor girls swept away by the crowd.

As they passed by some more recently put up stalls, the new merchants Bramwell mentioned caught Katniss's eye. A tall tailor and fabric stall caught her eye. It's wooden sign was brightly painted 'Twill and Spruce's Spools' with flourishing black letters. A willowy brunette with pale peachy skin turned and smiled at her as she put up a sewing mannequin into one of their stall corners. Her chest was wrapped in a swath of fabric holding a tiny baby against her chest.

A tall wide man popped out of the swaths of cerulean cloth at the back of their stall. He wrapped up his arms around the woman. Their gold wedding rings glinted against the light that reflected against the oil lamp that hung from their stall. He caught their eyes and happily waved, dimples indenting his face.

Another person emerged from the depths of their stall. They all had similar features and a certain coloring that wasn't common in district 12. The girl lugged out bolts of fabric and stood them up onto the rug in front of their stall. She looked around Gale's age, with dark curling hair and brown eyes.

Katniss unconsciously tugged Peeta closer to the stall.

He smiled at her despite the fact that she had become quite enamored with the soft looking bolts of fabric. He gently felt a bit of fabric from an orange bolt of cloth and surprise spread across his face. His eyes widened as he rubbed the cloth between his fingers. It didn't look like something out of the ordinary, but it felt even softer than flannel. When he pulled it back, it even stretched.

Leaving Peeta to stare in wonderment at the orange fabric he'd been drawn to, Katniss was distracted by a thick bolt of sky blue fabric. It was as soft as a cloud and stretched just a little bit. She'd never seen fabric like that around the Hob before.

Squinting at the little tag attached she saw that it said that the fabric was called jersey cotton. She bit her lip in thought and fingered the fabric, 'Maybe I could also get some new cloth for a dress for Prim. This would defenitely bring out her eyes, and it's so soft. Ohh...I kind of want a shirt made out of this. Oh! They even have a green version. Hmmm.'

Katniss hummed in concentration and ran her fingers over a length of thick green jersey cotton. Suddenly, a short little girl with a riot of light red curls bumped into her startling her out of her thoughts. Katniss blinked repeatedly before focusing down and realization hit her.

The little kid was one of Greasy Sae's grandkids, Rosie. She smiled down at the little girl that clung around her legs. A big smile with a missing front tooth greeted her along with bright grey eyes, and a smattering of freckles. Katniss let out a startled laugh and gently patted her hair. She idly noted that Rusty Barb's hair was more like a crayon red than the red orange of Rosie's hair.

Rosie giggled and hugged her tighter before skipping away towards some cackling children. Katniss shook her head and a fond look softened her face. She looked back at the bolts of fabric longingly before shaking her head again. It'd be too much for two long yards of this nice fabric. She'd just have to keep looking for something better and slightly cheaper.

As they departed from the stall Peeta scratched at his cheek as a hesitant smile crawled onto his face, "That was weird little kid."

Katniss tilted her head in thought at his words. Weird...What weird little girl?

She glanced at the slightly ashamed look on his face as realization hit. The only person everyone ever called weird in that tone was...

A slight frown dipped her lips down, "Oh. That's just Rosie. I know she's not quite right, but she's a sweetheart. Some people treat her as a sort of pet, but she's smarter than that. Sure, her face is kind of squished and she's a little slow, but her heart's in the right place."

An apologetic look painted his face, "Sorry... Where are her parents?"

The hardness in Katniss's eyes softened as she looped her arm with Peeta's, "Her mom is usually around here somewhere and her dad should be patrolling around. She's a Peacekeeper's kid. Darius something or another; one of the younger Peacekeepers around my mom's age, married Greasy Sae's youngest daughter. It was a pretty cool wedding."

Peeta's jaw dropped as he balked, "How is that even allowed? I heard that if they took you away to become a Peacekeeper that you'd have to be celibate and unmarried for like, forever."

She bonelessly shrugged, "I guess he didn't care. I dunno. You know what? It might actually be because he's been here almost as long as Old Peacekeeper Cray has. I remember my dad making fun of him as one of the few teenage Peacekeepers here, actually. Could be that."

Peeta sighed and gently ran a hand through his hair. A deep sigh escaped past his chapped lips, "So does everyone around here just ignore all the laws and rules?"

A cheeky smile adorned her face as she gently bumped his shoulder while they walked, "Don't be sore... There are people that work in the Justice Building that are pretty straight laced. A lot of the townies are, as you know, wary of this place. But I've seen more than a few of the legal Merchants here after their hours are finished. Umm... There was only one person that was pissed about this place in the Peacekeeper crew here, but he finished his term and decided to transfer out. That or he died and no one bothered to tell anyone."

Peeta let out a low whistle, "Well, damn."

An apathetic look colored Katniss's face as she shrugged. She didn't really care for that Peacekeeper, and whether he lived or died didn't really concern her. A curious look crossed her face, "Yeah. I was kind of surprised that you hadn't been here yet, actually. With the way your mom tries to crush the life out of you guys, this would've been one of the rebellious things that I thought you might indulge in."

A bright flush spread across his face as he coughed, "No. No. Not a rebel. Besides, with what my mother constantly yells about the Seam and how much better Town Merchants are, you couldn't guess? "

She couldn't help the snort that escaped her, "Touche. As for the rebel bit, you are now. You're here with me aren't you?"

He tightened his arm around Katniss's and hummed, "Yeah. That's true."

A light white stall with a sign in the shape of a scroll along with fancy gold lettering declaring it to be 'The Write Stop' made her snort in amusement. Peeta let out a little oh and was the one to draw them into a stall for once. All the wooden shelves full of note books, sheathes of different papers, and the assortment of different pens, pencils, and other writing implements made Peeta's face light up.

Katniss pulled away from a clearly drooling Peeta and caught sight of the stall owner Eustace. Eustace was a short old man with a balding head, a fairly bushy grey beard, a round belly and a wide grin with violet eyes that always seemed to dance. He kind of reminded her of a too tall dwarf, if those things even existed.

He peered up at her and chortled, "Good to see that life hasn't beaten you down, sugar."

Although his customary smile was in place, she could see the deep eye bags that hung on his tanned skin. She leaned against his stall table and shot him a wane smile, "You too, old timer. You gonna be okay?"

His eyes dimmed a bit and he pulled out an old pink weathered hanky from his pocket. He blew his nose and shot Katniss a sad grin, "Should ask you that, sugar. You lost your, dad. Foundation, mom's and dads. I lost my Molly in that explosion. She wanted to save up to help build up our shop and the mines paid much better than here, so you know. Couldn't stop her no matter how hard we tried. Stubborn girl. Hurts deep inside. Donna's always cryin' now, but it can't be helped. Three months' ain't nothing when you loose your child..."

Kantiss nodded empathetically, "Sometimes my heart just hurts."

He sighed and seemed to pull himself up to stand a little straighter, "Don't I know it. You need something for the little flower of yours?"

Eustace didn't bother asking about her mother. News had gotten around to those that were still alive and had known Aven, that she wasn't doing too well. It would probably be like the time when she and Aven had lost their first child. She'd been almost comatose for months until she'd gotten pregnant with Katniss, and the light of life seemed to swell back into her.

She nodded, "Yeah. It's Prim's birthday today. Do you think you have a card that she might like?"

He scrunched his lips this way and that, making his beard and mustache twitch. He turned and walked around his stall table before ducking down, "Yeah. I think I've still got some cards. Haven't got any new ones. Molly...Molly used to make new ones and my heart just hasn't been in it lately to make more."

Eustace popped up with a small shoe box in his arms. He looked down at the box and took in a deep breath before reluctantly letting it go, "Here you are, sugar."

She gently held the box in her hands and rifled through the cards. Cards of sketched flowers, cakes, and birds in different inks, watercolors and paints, greeted her.

Katniss gingerly pulled out a card with a water color duck wearing a birthday hat. Inside the card was Molly's distinctive cursive with looping letters saying 'Have a ducktastic birthday!' She bit her lip at the bad jokes. She didn't really know Molly all that well since she was quite a bit younger than her, but she could see how much her parents loved her.

A bitter twang hit her.

Eustace gazed at the box lost in thought for a moment. Katniss cleared her throat and slid the card towards him, "Can I buy this one?"

He glanced down at the card and let out a wobbly laugh, "She had my sense of humor. You can have it for free, sugar. Say happy birthday to the little flower for me and the missus, yeah?"

She nodded resolutely as he slid the card into a protective plastic.

Peeta came out from the large shelves that lined the stall with a basket full of sketch books, pens and pencils. An embarrassed smile grew onto his face, "I've never had pens or pencils like this."

A bright smile flickered onto Eustace's face, "S'always good to see another fellow that's enamored with stationary supplies like me. That'll just be five credits, young man."

Peeta paused for a moment, before a thrilled grin encompassed his features, "Really?" He deftly plucked the credits out of his pocket and handed it over bouncing slightly on the back of his heels.

Eustace chuckled and stowed all of Peeta's purchases into a paper bag, "Yep. And if you're interested in the more colorful variety of things, you should check out Amaryllis's art stall. Should be three stalls down from this one."

With a happy nod, Peeta collected his paper bag, "Thanks mister!"

"You're welcome, young man," Eustace waved at the two children as they walked off and away from his stall.

As they walked towards the art stall, Katniss shot Peeta a curious look, "So you really like art? How'd that happen?" They didn't really have an environment conducive to anything really creative in district 12, so it was interesting to note that he had managed to find a hobby like that.

"I've always liked art. You know, like painting, sketching, drawing, coloring and all that stuff. I know we never really had a way to do that in school...Let alone our district, but just reading about how that was an option back in the Dark Days..." he let out a wistful laugh as he clutched his purchases to his chest.

His eyes brightened and crinkled as he gave her an impish grin, "That's a thing of the past now though. Now I don't have to use frosting cakes and cookies for my art. Or sketching with left over coals from the fire and squished berries, the ones that sometimes got thrown away from the bakery. They don't hold up well. So, I'm really happy I got to come here."

A bright smile dimpled Katniss's face, "I'm glad."

She could totally see why this made him happy. Creative products like art supplies just didn't come through the Merchant market. However, they did come through the Hob Market.

She bit her lip as she idly listened to him go on about the various pros and cons about pencil crayons vs paint. It didn't really mean much to her since she didn't have art as a hobby.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't really have a any 'real' hobbies to speak of, not like that at least. Well, unless you counted hunting illegally. Or maybe singing, but she didn't like doing that in public.

She did enjoy reading too, but it wasn't as creative as drawing or painting. Books had been too expensive to own before now though, but that could be considered a hobby.

Oh! She enjoyed carving things, that could be her hobby. It would be nice to bond over something creative with Peeta.

Inwardly, she preened, 'Maybe I have hobbies I can share too.'

It didn't take them long to come across the art stall. It was brightly colored in bolts of sunshine yellow fabric with bits of red thrown in here and there. The sign nailed above it, was bright and shiny with gold lettering: 'Amaryllis Art Alley'.

Amaryllis turned out to be a darkly tanned, petite woman with black birds nest hair, sparkling green eyes, and scars that dotted her arms and hands. At the sight of them, she perked up from her slumped position on her chair, "Well, hi there! I'm Amaryllis. Welcome, welcome."

Peeta's grin seemed to crack his face, it was so wide, "Hi. Can, we look around?" He bounced on the heels of his feet, head swiveling here and there as if he were trying to drink all the art supplies with his eyes.

Katniss shot her a friendly look, "It looks neat in here."

Amaryllis bobbed her head and gestured to the opening of her stall, "Why, thank you. And of course! Go ahead and browse. Always happy to have fellow art lovers."

It didn't take long for Peeta to find what he was looking for. Blissfully, he bought paint, pencil crayons, markers, and fine brushes at a discount. They were apparently Amaryllis's first customers of the day, and she appreciated their business.

Once they were done at the art stall, the two children started to wander around the hob again. Katniss was determined to find something, anything that Prim might like at this point. She tried to concentrate harder in order to look for something Prim would really like as they passed by more and more Hob merchant stalls.

When she felt like just giving up and conjuring something simple for her little sister, something caught her eye. Goats. There not too far from them was an old man who looked to be selling a couple goats. Prim loved animals, sometimes more than people. They would be perfect.

As she pulled them closer to his stall, her thoughts pulled at the flashes of information that flooded her brain. She knew from her late father, that the old man kept a small herd of goats on the other side of the Seam. Everyone called him Abe the Goat Man. His joints had always been swollen and twisted in painful angles from her knowledge, and he had a horrible hacking cough that proved he spent years in the mines. But he was lucky. Somewhere along the way, he managed to save up enough for all these goats and now has something to do in his old age besides slowly starve to death. He was filthy and impatient, but the goats were always clean and their milk was rich and creamy if you can afford it.

One of the goats, a white one with black patches, was lying down in a cart. It was easy to see why. Something, probably a wild dog, had mauled her shoulder and an infection had set in. It was bad, the Goat Man had to hold her up to milk her, but Katniss knew someone who could fix everything that ailed that goat. She noticed another goat beside it, a white one with black and brown splotches, who was leaning heavily to one side against the other goat. It was clear that it had a bad limp.

"Peeta," she whispered, an undercurrent of excitement laced in her voice, "I want those goats for Prim." She tugged on his arm and bit her lip, doing her best to contain her excitement. No need to let Abe know about her interest too soon.

Owning a nanny goat could change your life in District 12. The animals can live off almost anything, the Meadow's a perfect feeding place, and they can give four quarts of milk a day. To drink, to make into cheese, to sell. It's not even against the law. Owning two, that could make an even better change. Not to mention, it was already part of her big master plan. She'd definitely turn one of them into a miniature cow after getting them both fixed up.

Peeta hummed and squinted at them before nodding slightly, "They look like they're hurt pretty bad."

Before Katniss could protest, he gave her a wink and pulled her even closer to the Goat Stall, "We better take a closer look."

They went over and bought a cup of milk to share, then stood over the goats as if idly curious.

He gave them both a suspicious squinty look before scowling, "Leave them be."

"Just looking," Peeta stated, shooting him a charming smile.

Abe's scowl lessened before he snarked, "Well, look fast. These two go to the Merchant butcher soon. Hardly anyone will buy their milk, and then they only pay half price," he grumbled stretching slightly before firmly sitting on his upturned bucket and leaning against his cane.

Katniss bit her lip and chanced showing her interest, "What's Rooba giving for them?"

Abe shrugged, a calculating glimmer flashed in his eyes before his face became apathetic, "Hang around and see."

It didn't take long for Rooba to turn up. At the sound of the familiar jingle jangle of her keys, Katniss turned and saw Rooba coming across the Hob towards them. Towards the goats that she'd really hope she could get for Prim. A tight knot of anxiety plunged into Katniss's stomach. What if she couldn't get the goats for Prim? They were the only gift idea she could find that would certainly knock her little sister's socks off.

"Lucky thing you showed up, Miss Robba," Abe stated with a wry grin.

He gestured at them with his cane, a crooked grin on his lips exposing his decaying yellowing teeth, "Girl's got her eye on your goats."

"Not if they're spoken for," Katniss blinked and sheepishly smiled. It wouldn't do to get on Rooba's bad side. She still needed to trade with her after all.

Rooba looked up and down at Katniss before she frowned at the goats. "They're not. Look at that one's shoulder. Look at that one's limp. Bet you half the carcasses will be too rotten for even sausages."

Abe reeled back, an offended look washed onto his face, "What!?"

Rooba shrugged, "You heard me."

A deep frown furrowed his face, making his grey bushy eyebrows almost cover his eyes, "We had a deal, Miss Rooba."

She shook her finger at him, her tone entirely chastising, "Abe, we had a deal on animals with a few teeth marks. Not those things. Sell them to the girl if she's stupid enough to take them." With that she swiftly turned, her keys loudly jingle jangling as she went. And as she marched off, Katniss caught her subtle wink. Maybe she did have a chance to purchase Prim's gifts.

Abe let out a frustrated noise and turned his eyes onto the two children, "You want these two, they're twenty-five credits each."

Katniss shook her head, a stubborn frown flittered across her face, "No. Rooba's right, they aren't worth that much when they look like they're gonna keel over."

Abe let out a growl, his nostrils flared, "Why you!?"

Peeta deftly stepped in with an apologetic smile, "Besides, sir, they're supposed to be a gift for her little sister."

At that, his scowl and anger dissipated slightly and he let out an irritated huff, "Fine. Better be glad, you're friend's nicer than you, girl. What you willing to give for em?"

Katniss inwardly beamed. She was really glad Peeta had come with her on this Hob trip. She was quite aware that she didn't have the charisma to pull off what he just managed to do with surly old Abe.

It took them the better part of half an hour haggling on the price. Because of the constant haggling back and forth, quite a crowd had gathered by then to hand out opinions and advice. A lot of people agreed that it was an excellent deal if the goats lived. On the other hand, many also agreed that Katniss would be completely robbed if they died. People kept taking sides in the argument, but Katniss paid them no mind. She just wanted the goats.

After another long while, they settled on nine credits each, which was a steal if they lived. Katniss knew just how to make them live though. She just had to visit Shady Jim.

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AN: Thank you for those that read, followed, and or favorited this story. A great big thanks to the reviewers 8goose8 and TwinK21. You guys are awesome!

8goose8: I'm glad that you like it!

Twink21: Thank you very much. I hope you like how she still got the same thing for Prim with a little twist. She made it so that anyone looking at their house would see the same old shack and then want to walk away. It's kind of like a contentment charm with a mix of a confusion charm laid in. As for the healing bit, she's never been good at healing anything with magic. And with Katniss's original body/personality, it would make sense that she couldn't really do that in this life time either. That'll be in the upcoming chapter.


	11. Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

They quickly made their way through the throng of people, each carrying a goat.

People parted like a hot knife through butter, as they strode through the crowd with their acquired animals. Some passersby stared at them in curiosity, while others gave them glances of approval.

Having farm animals of any sort, was a sign of status amongst the Seam. Katniss subtly wiggled her fingers and applied a feather weight charm onto each goat, which startled Peeta slightly, but neither child faltered in their steps towards their destination.

Past the many Hob stalls, near one of the exits to the outer Hob, stood a short windowless wooden building that looked more like a ramshackle store than a stall. A large neon sign lit up against the lamp lights advertising that this place was open. It had a simple stall in front by the door, showing objects of delight and interest; a twisted candlestick holder with a face, a glass slipper, red ruby shoes, a brown tattered looking pointy hat with a mouth, and more. But Katniss knew that what was inside was much more wondrous than what was outside.

Peeta paused at the sight of the darkened glass door. Hesitantly he cleared his throat, "Katniss, are you sure this is the right place?"

She let out a chuckle, "Yeah. It looks weird on the outside, but you'll be amazed at what's inside. Come on. Trust me."

He frowned before nodding and following after her. As they entered past the darkened glass door, a bell chimed, and Peeta's eyes widened as he adjusted his grip on the goat.

A gasp escaped past his lips as he blinked repeatedly to see if what he was seeing was real.

Cylindrical white lights above him bathed the room in a bright white light. The scent of something sickly sweet clung in the air. One wall of the store was covered in glass doors that seemed to emanate the cold like those fancy fridges the Capitol had. The floor was covered in white solid tiles and the various other things in the shop that should've been just a wooden box.

Peeta's mind whirled. Magic was real. It had to be. Were Katniss and Shady Jim the same kind of magic people? Did they just hide? Were there more of them?

Katniss walked on without a single faltering step. She'd been here once before with her father, and she had thought it'd all been a dream. It wasn't though. Everything looked exactly like she thought it had the last time.

It looked exactly like the inside of a 7-Eleven store, but with tall shelves that made up the different isles. Along with the various different foods in the shelves, were many other interesting items that adorned the shelves and walls. Strange looking white and black long guns hung on some spaces on the walls, along with strangely intricate gold bows.

Katniss shook her head. She did spot the refrigerated goods wall that proclaimed delicious experiences, while others touted amazing healing abilities. She decided that she'd look into the refrigerators later though along with the intriguing things on the wall. They had time to browse if they wanted to.

She strode up to the counter, the lame goat still firmly in her arms, and took in Shady Jim. There were wrinkles on the corners of his eyes now, but his birds nest black hair, crazy scraggly beard, and his lightly tanned skin remained the same. It was just like he hadn't really aged since she'd seen him last when she was five.

Tramping down the sudden anxiety that seemed to overwhelm her, she let out a breath, "Hey, Shady Jim."

He looked up from a comic book that had a red and blue suited man smashing a green beetle into a hill. Action comics. She didn't quite recall why that made her mind tingle, but she shook it away. He let out a breath and squinted at her for a moment before letting out a laugh, "Aven's kid. Sorry, about your pops."

Suddenly the anxiety that had bubbled in her, deflated into a sort of flat sadness that clenched at her stomach, "Thanks. Can you help me? I need Capitol grade burn creme and two of those health pills please. Like the one that you gave my dad when I was five." She didn't know if he remembered that, but she had a pretty good guess that he did. If he managed to remember a scared little five year old from six years ago, then why not what he had sold to her father.

He raised a bushy brow as his eyes took in the two damaged goats that they were carrying. Pursing his lips like a duck, he hummed, "Alright. Those pills can fix up any internal injuries and make the one takin' the pills feel brand new. The burn creme is more like a healing creme since it can heal almost anything back to it's original state externally."

Shady Jim rummaged about behind his counter before revealing a rather large tin of Capitol grade healing creme, and the two red pills she'd asked for.

Peeta frowned and tugged at Katniss's sleeve, once she turned towards him, her brow rose, "Yes? What's wrong?"

Biting his lip, he murmured, "We don't have a lot of credits left, Katniss."

She shot him a reassuring smile, "Don't worry. We'll have enough." Internally, she knew that was a lie, but she hoped that she could haggle him down to a price they could afford.

"Is that all you want?" Shady Jim lifted up a brow and put away the requested items in a small paper bag, before sliding it closer to them.

Katniss pasted on a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, "Yeah. How much for it all?"

A thoughtful look encroached onto Shady Jim's face before his green eyes narrowed at their necks. He hummed, a calculating glimmer in his eyes, "That'll be 100 credits, or one of those amulets."

Katniss frowned and an uncomfortable look passed on through Peeta's face. She sighed and nodded, "Okay, but I also want a wagon to carry the goats."

A smile surged onto Shady Jim's face, making his green eyes dance, "Sure, kid. You can even keep the necklace. I just need the amulet. How's that sound?"

Katniss bit her lip and reluctantly nodded, "Okay."

With that, Shady Jim disappeared through a door behind the counter he had been sitting at, calling over his shoulder, "I'll be right back with just the thing to transport those goats of yours. Just let them down. Your arms must be tired."

Reluctantly, the two kids lowered their goats and waited for him to return.

Before they could talk about how odd this entire experience was, Shady Jim popped out of the back with a rather large red wagon in hand, with neat white letters on the side saying 'Snoopy'.

Katniss frowned before letting out a defeated sigh. They needed all that medicine for the goats, and even though Peeta thought the healing creme was for the goats too, she planned on using some on his hands as well. It wasn't like she knew how to properly heal with magic, so she couldn't really fix him herself.

Gently slipping off her necklace, she took off the amulet and slid it across the counter towards where Shady Jim stood. She figured it wasn't a big loss. She still had some soapstones and could carve herself a new one later on. With that thought in mind, she and Peeta took the medicine and the wagon that was passed to them.

Shady Jim gave them a grin, "Oh. Don't look so down. How about this, Aven's little girl, if this amulet that you traded me works like how I think it should... You can come back to my store once a month and pick out one thing you want. For free."

Katniss's eyes widened as she blinked, "Really?" Was he really serious? With that deal in front of her, she didn't feel quite so bad. She even felt like maybe she did want to browse around before leaving instead of just bolting with their procured goods.

Peeta placed the goats onto the wagon as Katniss debated on the deal that Shady Jim had just presented her with. He frowned to himself, what did he mean by the amulet working. After gently placing the goats onto the wagon, Peeta fingered the amulet around his neck. What did this thing do? What made it special enough to be worth 100 credits?

Biting the inside of her lip, Katniss released a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding, "Okay. Deal."

Shady Jim nodded and slid the amulet onto a leather string he always seemed to wear around his neck. He held out a rough, calloused, and scarred hand out to her, "Let's shake on it."

Slowly nodding, she tentatively clasped her hand with his. As they shook on it, she felt something tighten around her magical core before the feeling faded away. It felt weird, but not really bad. Thinking on it, she guessed that she'd just gotten herself into a some sort of magical deal with the strange man who owned this illogical place. She didn't really feel any distress though, so she put it out of her mind for now.

Katniss titled her head up at Shady Jim, "Can we give the medicine to them here?"

Leaning back onto his chair, his combat boots thudding onto the counter, he idly picked up the comic he'd been reading earlier, and shrugged, "Go for it, kid."

Nodding, both the children forced a red pill down one of the goats' throats and slathered on some healing creme on the varying different external injuries each goat had. Katniss gently took the healing creme and nudged Peeta before murmuring, "S'also for your hands."

A dark red flush flooded Peeta's face, "No it's okay. What if the goats need more?"

Katniss shot him a dry look, "They won't. The tin's pretty big. Bigger than what I had expected, so put some on your hands, Peeta. Please. For me."

With a large sigh, Peeta nodded in defeat, "Okay." He gently took the tin from her and slathered some creme onto his hands as well.

In mere moments, the goats seemed to heal before their eyes, the spark of youth surging through the goats. Suddenly, the lame goat that looked like it would die soon without proper treatment looked like it had just returned to the start of adulthood. The goat with a limp, was now able to stand up straight, all of her legs just as healthy as they had been years prior to her accident.

Katniss gaped and let out an excited breath. She swerved to stare at Peeta's exposed hands. The burns on his hands that had bubbled and chaffed his skin, slowly rippled and healed inch by inch, second by second.

An astonished breath left Peeta's lips, "Is this magic?"

Shady Jim snorted and flipped a page of his comic. Without looking up, he answered Peeta, "Science. Advanced science that the Capitol has hoarded like a Arthurian dragon, but science none the less. I do have a couple enchanted items that I've managed to procure through my many adventures though. So you two can look around if you'd like, but make sure your take your goats. Don't want them trying to eat anything that might bite back around here."

Blinking repeatedly Katniss nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

Turning towards Peeta, she grabbed his newly healed smooth hand, and pulled him away from the counter. She managed to pull Peeta along with no resistance. Looking back, she noted that he seemed a little dazed by all this. With her other hand, she pulled along the wagon with the goats and browsed the aisles.

Her first stop was at the glass refrigerators that covered one wall. There were pastries that she'd never seen before, ice creams, meats, eggs, and other grocery store food items, along with frozen ready to eat meals on one end. Drinks, some familiar looking, while others seemed fantastical in nature dominated the middle section of the refrigerated wall. While on one other end, the refrigerators housed medicinal items. There was something called stim packs, green, red, and blue potions, and other vials filled with interesting things.

While she quietly scanned the various things through the glass of the refrigerator shelves, Peeta gently tapped her shoulder, a look of consternation covered his face, "Katniss."

Katniss blinked at him before tilting her head, "Mhmm?" She tightened her grip on the handle of the wagon that held the goats. A pit of worry wormed into her belly.

Peeta took in a fortifying breath, his hands clenched for a moment before relaxing, "Are you guys magic? Is this place magic? I wasn't gonna say anything because it's your business, and we've just become best friends... But- uh... It's hard not to question this." He looked up and around, subtly motioning to the ludicrous fact that they were in a very different place in comparison to the outside world.

She chewed on her lip and took in Peeta's anxious face, before a sigh escaped past her lips. Katniss took in a deep breath and nodded, "Yeah... I know what you mean. Thanks for not, you know, bugging me about it."

She licked her lips before shuffling closer to him. Pitching her voice lower, "And, yes. This place isn't normal and... I'm not exactly normal either. Is that okay?"

Katniss inwardly cursed at the hesitance that broke through her voice. She hated feeling this way. Worried and helpless about what he could possibly say. Was this how she'd lose the boy with the bread? Her heart thudded in her ears as she looked down and away from him.

Peeta blinked once and then repeatedly for a moment before slowly nodding, "Yes."

It wasn't the best explanation he'd ever heard, especially for a secret this big, but it was probably the best he'd get from her for now. From the years he'd been watching her, he knew second hand how she wasn't the greatest with words. It would take a while for him to wrap his head around the fact that the love of his life was magical, just like the stories he'd heard whispered about when he was younger. Witches and wizards. A great wizard mastering death and bringing down darkness.

He took in her worried eyes and a soft smile slid onto his face without his volition, "Yes. That's okay. You're still you. That's all that matters."

Katniss looked up and stared at him, eyes wide, "Really?"

A flush flooded his cheeks as he nodded and blinked, "Yeah."

She shuffled away noticing how close they had drifted towards one another when she revealed one of her secrets, "Ahhh... Thanks. Um-"

Peeta patted her shoulder and cleared his throat, "Hey, I found something pretty cool over there while we were walking past that isle." He pointed at a nearby isle with a shelf full of pretty delicate looking things.

Sheepishly smiling, Katniss shook away the heat that clenched her heart and made her want to blush, "Yeah? We- We should go look at it."

In a moment of complete giddiness that she could no longer contain, Katniss plucked two pink ribbons that had strange flowing text scrawled on them, and two silver bells. Shady Jim's eyes crinkled at the sight of the two objects they'd chosen, surprising them when he only asked for five credits. With very little money left, the two children tied the ribbons and bells around the goats necks before heading out of the strange store and back into the Hob.

With a pep in her step, she was almost skipping as they hurried through the crowd out of the Hob. The mob of people the went this way and that, didn't bother her. The fact that the sun was already dwindling down the sky when she looked up past the grungy glass panes of the Hob roof, didn't phase her. They'd still make it in time to surprise both her mother and Prim.

A happy smile spread across Katniss's face no matter how much she tried to stamp it down. Peeta was still her friend, the magic store was still there, she had a profitable deal with a possible wizard, and Prim would, no doubt, love her new animals. Especially once she transfigured one into a miniature cow.

A soft look stole across Peeta's face as his hand snaked in between them. He intertwined his fingers with hers and deftly looked ahead as they steadily strode through the throng of people.

His heart thudded in his chest, echoing in his ears when he didn't feel Katniss pull away. Instead, she gently gripped his hand in his. It was official. This was the best day ever. With bright twinkling eyes he stared at Katniss's dark swaying braid. He wondered if he could make the day even better with the surprise he had in store for both the Everdeen girls.

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AN: Thank you to everyone that read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story! An extra thank you to the people that let reviews. You guys are amazing and I really appreciate it. c:

TwinK21: I'm glad that you liked it! I'm hoping for their friendship to bloom before they actually start with all the romance when they're older, so I'm happy that you like the way that I'm working on that. She is collecting quite a farm at this rate. You'll see in the next chapter! c:

Anon: Thank you! I'm glad that you like the story so far. c: I will do my best to continue updating in a sort of timely fashion.

CrazyWithABook: I hope you liked this chapter. c:

Guest B: Thank you!

Guest A: Awe! Oh, thank you so much! I'm so happy that you love my stories. c:


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

The sky was set ablaze with hues of tangerine, reds, pinks and purples, like juice mix dissolved in a glass of water.

Clouds that rolled by were dashed with dusty pinks, like cotton candy. Silhouettes of birds dotted the sky as they flew home to roost. As the sun dipped lower, the air cooled and the buildings around them darkened.

They hurried out of the Hob, the waning light nipping at their heels. Only the glow of a stray oil lamp here and there lit their way back to the Merchant Market amidst the dark alley ways.

Stray clouds dotted the sky between the buildings, making shadows as they stilled above them. A slight breeze blew by making Katniss shiver slightly as they quickly strode towards their destination. The wagon that trailed behind Katniss, gently bumped up and down on the uneven gravel making the goats shift now and again. Surprisingly, the goats didn't dare try to escape and just huddled closer to one another as they sped down the back alleys here and there.

It didn't take them long to head back to the Merchant Market through their use of shady shortcuts. When they walked by the back door of the bakery, Peeta paused. He chewed his lip and drew his hand through his hair as he looked back and forth from the bakery and Katniss.

Katniss immediately noted his absence and turned back. Squinting in the dimming light, she quirked a brow, "Peeta?"

A sheepish look lavished his face, his lips slightly tilted upwards, as he scratched at his cheek, "Ah. I want to come to Prim'a birthday party too. I just have to nab something from the bakery. Is that okay?" Hopping from one foot to the other, he looked more nervous than when they were in Shady Jim's store. This made Katniss inwardly chuckle. He was really weird sometimes.

She shot him a reassuring grin before lightly patting his shoulder, "Sure. I'll wait here." The unspoken 'I won't leave you', hung in the air between them, but Peeta's surging smile seemed to indicate that he understood her silent message.

With a deft nod, he turned and threw over his shoulder, "I'll be right back."

He surprised her, once again, by deftly climbing up an oak tree and into an adjacent window that led into the bakery's upstairs apartment. Blinking in surprise, Katniss silently wondered, 'How'd he learn how to climb trees?'

Peeta moved up the tree with a familiar gait of having done this more than a couple times. He kind of reminded her of a squirrel at the moment, inwardly she giggled at the thought. Did she look like a squirrel when she climbed trees to hunt for eggs? Probably.

He deftly swung open the window, and popped into the room with nary a sound before clicking the window closed behind him. The light flickered on revealing two shadows. Muted voices could be heard through the closed window and it seemed like something was passed between the two shadows. Just as fast as the exchange took, the light flickered off. Peeta popped open the window, before carefully climbing back onto the branch and down the tree.

This entire thing seemed rather odd to her; seeing him do that. Climbing trees. Breaking into places. Sneaking around. These were things she'd only assumed Seam kids knew how to do. It was a silly stupid thought on her part. Why wouldn't other people know how to do those things too?

Peeta came back down with a worn green backpack slung onto his back. He beamed at her as he noted her curious expression. Before she could voice her question, Peeta slipped off his backpack and unzipped it. He gently took a familiar looking pale pink box. She spotted the telltale white text scrawled across the pink box that announced it was from the Mellark Bakery, all their boxed cakes did.

She could hazard a guess as to what it was, but doubt crept through the edges of her heart. Katniss bit on her bottom lip, her eyes darted to his, "What is it?"

Peeta's cheeks dimpled as his eyes danced while he gently lifted the box's lid, "Ta da! It's a triple chocolate cake for Prim. You know. The same one she keeps eyeing when you guys stop by the front store window. I even made sure that this one had those chocolate flowers. A lot of little kids love those."

Her face heated up, painting her tanned skin red. She gulped as an embarrassed look pinched her face, "Peeta- Ahh. You didn't have to." How long had he noticed them staring at their pastries? Were they that obvious in their want? He couldn't know how much this meant to her... Could he?

Katniss did her best to calm her raging heart, and the heat that wouldn't come off of her face. She had to compose herself. She reminded herself that she should just act naturally. There was no reason as to why his actions should make her heart flutter and her stomach roll. This was normal between friends. Right? Right.

Inwardly, she rolled her eyes at her emotions, 'Ugh. I'm too young for this. Come on. Reel it in. Calm down.'

With a shake of his head, he threw her a careless smile before gently putting the cake back into his back pack, "Don't be silly, it's a gift. Besides, I wanted to."

Gulping down the denial that this was more than that, and that it was far too expensive a gift, she murmured, "Thanks. Where did you get it, anyway?"

As they walked steadily away from the bakery, Peeta hummed and looked up at the sky, "Bought it from Rye, even though I helped make it earlier this morning. Even if my mom found out, she can't get mad since the cake's already been paid for. No harm. No foul." He winked at her and laughed at his joke. His laugh seemed a little hollow and forced.

Katniss didn't get what was so funny, but her cheeks dimpled anyway. With a boneless shrug she glanced at him, "Huh. Thanks again. Come on. We have to make it back before Prim and my mom get there."

Her steps slowly sped up as they trudged towards the pathway that lead to the Seam. The waning light streaked through the boughs of the trees that lined the pathway home. Twigs and grass gave way to their hastened foot steps. The sounds of the town faded behind them as the smell of soot drew closer.

Peeta valiantly kept in step with her, despite his breaths coming out harder, "Why?" His arms swung at his sides, in tandem with their quick strides.

She blinked and noted that he was slightly out of breath. Katniss adjusted her pace and slowed slightly, "Oh, you'll see. If you thought Shady Jim's place was cool, well... I know what I did wasn't on par, but it may just be as neat." She snorted out a laugh. At the very least, she thought that his expression might be similar when he sees the house her magic helped craft.

He beamed at her, his curiosity and excitement laid bare on his face. Sincerity dripped in his voice, "I can't wait."

"Yeah? Not weirded out?" Katniss muttered, a seed of doubt pinched her heart. She could still recollect telling others of her magic in her last lives... It always seemed okay before it exploded in her face. She could feel his sincerity though. It didn't feel like it was just a show of words before a betrayal.

A hesitant look loomed in his eyes before Peeta shrugged, "I mean... A little, but not in a bad way."

Katniss cocked an eyebrow at that, "Mhmm?"

An unreadable look flitted across his face before he cleared his throat, "Ah- Hmm... It's not something that I thought was possible, but the Hob seems just as fantastical. Not to mention Shady Jim and his store..." Peeta shoved his hands into his pockets and looked away from her for a moment. Embarassment coated his face.

Her lips slightly tilted upwards at his admission. She gently bumped shoulders with him while they walked, her eyes twinkling, "Well, when you put it like that. I get it."

Peeta's embarrassment slipped off his face, a content smile took its place. He was both excited and a little nervous to seem more magic than what he'd seen today. Peeta thought he was doing rather well taking it all in though.

A rather tall teenager with dark hair, grey eyes, and tanned skin drew closer to them. Beside the boy, a young woman with the same coloring and similar features walked side by side with him. Their worn clothes, and wary looks seemed stuck onto their faces, which clearly told Peeta that they were from the Seam. What he couldn't figure out was why Katniss's shoulders seemed to tense at the sight of them.

She could tell who they were a mile away. Katniss had always been good at identifying animals, plants, and people. Her jaw clenched as Gale and her aunt Hazelle came into view while they hurried by.

Before they could completely pass one another, her aunt tugged at her cousin's sleeve and made them pause. With a deep sigh, Gale turned around with is mother and called out, "Hey, Catnip. Wait a sec."

Katniss and Peeta paused when they heard Gale call out. The goats bleated at the sudden stop in their journey. Both animals received approving looks from Gale and his mother.

Katniss took in a deep breath which helped to center her some. She turned to look at them, tilting her head to the side she curtly nodded, "Gale. Miss Hazelle."

Her cousin seemed to twitch at the sight of them. Even though he hid it well, she had seen the flash of disdain that had flickered through his face at the sight of Peeta. Stupid Gale. Her aunt's expression seemed unreadable in the waning light. However, she figured that her aunt wasn't too receptive the idea of a Seam kid and Merchant kid hanging out with one another with how her body language seemed to scream uncomfortable.

Katniss's aunt flinched and Gale huffed as guilt coated his voice, "Don't be a snot. Say happy birthday to Prim for me and my mom. Kay?"

Peeta tugged her closer into him causing Gale to glare and aunt Hazelle to look even more wary than she already was. The laundry pail that her aunt tucked into her side made Katniss pause.

Her brow furrowed as thoughts blitzed through her mind, 'I didn't like they way they thought they were better than us. I didn't like the looks they sent Peeta. Or how they never offered to help us like family should. But, I couldn't help but like my aunt Hazelle. Just a smidge. I respected her at the very least.'

The explosion that killed Katniss's father and her aunt Hazelle's husband, left her aunt with three boys and a baby due any day. Less than a week after that, aunt Hazelle gave birth. Not long after that, she was out hunting the streets for work. At least that's what Katniss had heard murmured here and there while they walked around the Hob today. That place was rife with gossip; it was where it bred and spread.

The laundry pail made sense. Her aunt couldn't get work at the mines, not with a baby to look after. However, if she managed to get laundry from some of the merchants in town, that would work. At fourteen, Gale, the eldest of the kids, would become the main supporter of the family, just like Katniss. He was already signed up for tesserae, which entitled them to a meager supply of grain and oil in exchange for his entering his name extra times in the drawing to become a tribute.

On top of that, her cousin was a skilled trapper, no matter how much Katniss thought she was better. Just hunting and the tesserae wouldn't be enough enough to keep a family of five from becoming skin and bones though. They would need aunt Hazelle to work. She was probably working her fingers to the bone on that in addition, would make sure they wouldn't outright starve this year.

Her heart clenched. It was better than the zombified way her mother, this body's mother, fell after the mining accident. She was heartened to see that her aunt was determined that she and her kids would live, and not just survive on meager scraps. This was probably why aunt Hazelle and Gale, the boys; twelve-year-old Rory and ten-year-old Vick, and the baby; three month old Posy, wouldn't have to succumb to starvation like the other people in the Seam this year. They wouldn't slowly turn skeletal before just dropping like some of the people that littered the streets at night. Drunk on their despair.

It made resolve bloom in her chest. They might not have been the best people, but at least they didn't pretend that Katniss and her family didn't exist. They weren't like her mother's brother. There was at least a bit of tolerance in their relationship. This was the least she could do. With a slow nod she replied, "Sure. Will do."

Gale gave her a curt nod in return before swiftly striding away, not even waiting of his mother. His boots stomped down the already flattened grass they'd gone through earlier.

Aunt Hazelle hesitated before throwing her a sad facsimile of a smile, "I'm sorry, for what it's worth, Katniss." Her hands twitched and her leg seemed to want to bring her closer to her niece, but something seemed to hold her back. What? Katniss didn't know.

A tight small smile upturned her lips, "I'm sorry too." Both women stalled a little too long for their companions.

Peeta let out a cough, "It's getting chilly. We better go." His tone was conversational, but she knew what he was trying to do. The air between her aunt and her had gotten awkward.

Peeta and Katniss joined hands and turned away. They left as though they were at risk of getting burned from staying in their previous spots for too long. She didn't dare look back at what her aunt and cousin thought of her exit. She couldn't. She just couldn't.

When they were far enough away, Peeta hesitantly hedged, "A friend?" He wanted to comfort her, but at the same time a burning feeling spurned in his chest. It was unpleasant and made his hands clench.

She chewed on her inner cheek for a moment before quietly answering, "Not quite. Do you know him?" She didn't bother asking about her aunt. Aunt Hazelle didn't really head in and out of the Seam before this. That's what her husband and her cousin Gale did before the accident.

"Not really. I heard the girls talk about him a lot though. You know. Here and there at school. I thought he was your cousin, or something," his eyes darted to her from the corner of his eye before he looked away. He had another one of those unreadable looks on his face again.

She nodded as their shoes crunched twigs and leveled the long grass they walked through, "Yeah. He's my cousin. The lady I called Miss Hazelle was, no... Is, my paternal aunt. We're not exactly on the best of terms." That was putting it lightly. Just that earlier action alone, was an olive branch she didn't think would happen till she was older. Much older, if she were to be honest.

Peeta nodded, his shoulder's relaxed as a happy look made his eyes spark back to life, "Must be better now that he said to say happy birthday to Prim though, right?"

"I guess," she shrugged, observing him carefully. She looked up at the sky and sighed, "He looked guilty though. You gave me and Prim gifts. Ones without guilt. I prefer that." It was just better that way in her opinion.

Peeta raised his eyebrows as if this was news. He pursed his lips before he let out a low whistle, "Really? And I'm fairly sure I gave you whatever gifts your inferring to because I like you and your sister. That and my dad likes Prim, and you. I think he wishes he had a daughter instead of a house full of boys." A shadow shuttered across his face after that comment.

The idea that either of the two Seam girls might have ever been discussed, around the dinner table at the bakery fire no less, even just in passing in Peeta's house gave her a start. It must have been when the mother was out of the room. She hated Prim and Katniss.

"He knew your mother when they were kids," Peeta murmured. Katniss felt like Peeta was a million miles away when he said that. He gazed up through the leaves above them, up to the darkening sky. The brightest stars were already peaking out from the curtain that sheltered them from the day.

It was yet another surprising thing about Peeta, but it was probably true. She coughed into her hand as a thoughtful look trapized onto her face, "Oh. Yeah. My mom mentioned that she grew up in town." It seemed impolite to say that she never really mentioned the baker except to compliment his bread. Perhaps there was more to that story then them just knowing each other as children. She didn't really know whether or not she wanted to look into it. Would it be worth knowing?

At the last little bit of the way there, Katniss beamed at him and pulled him along behind her as she ran ahead towards their destination. She was kind of excited at the prospect of him seeing the culmination of her hard work from the other day. She completely overlooked the redness that painted Peeta's face when exertion hit him.

They paused just a few feet from a rundown ramshackle shack of house. She held him back and hummed, "We're at the outer wards of my house." The goats bleated now and again, at the sudden change in pace. If she could speak animal, she'd have known they were quite irritated with their new master.

Peeta tilted his head and let out a panted breath, "So why'd we rush over here so fast? It doesn't look like either your mom or Prim are here." He looked around, his breaths slowing as his heart calmed. It no longer felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest.

She didn't make a peep before he felt a sudden stab on the hand that'd been holding Katniss's. He let out a yelp and yanked back his appendage, "What the-?!"

Katniss shot him an apologetic smile, "Sorry. Just needed a drop." She held the droplet, floating, on the tip of her fore finger.

A wary look overcame his face, as exasperation huffed out of him, "Of my blood? Really?" He didn't really think they'd progressed so far into their relationship that he would need to shed blood for her yet. What was next? Sweat and tears? Did magic have a use for those too?

She tilted her head, making her braid fall against her chest. Katniss hummed, "Mhmm. Lets you go in and out, and see past the wards." With that, she blew on the droplet letting it dissolve against a golden barrier that appeared for just a moment. Triumph shined in her eyes as it glowed blue before fading away. It worked.

Peeta raised his brow and looked around, "What ward-"

Suddenly, the hovel in front of them transformed before his very eyes. His eyes widened into saucers, as his mouth formed a little 'o', "Ohh. Oh my."

Katniss's grin stretched from ear to ear as she watched a familiar wonderment paint across Peeta's face.

Instead of the run down shanty house that he'd passed by before when he'd hung out with Katniss the other day, Peeta saw a something right out of a Capitol Magazine for a country cottage.

A white picket fence encircled the house, while thick square columns held up a scalloped shingled roof over the front porch. Grey white siding covered the house, and white picture windows hung beside a muted green front door. And a single hung window sat above the porch roof, making him wonder how there could be a second story to this house.

He shrugged off that thought. The answer was obviously magic.

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AN: Thank you to everyone that read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story! A double thank you to the people that left reviews. You guys are spectacular!

Kikari no segaiu: Thank you so much for all of your reviews! I appreciate that you took the time to leave one for each chapter. It's overwhelming, but it a good way. c: I'm glad that you find each chapter to be an easy read. I made them short in this manner because I wanted them to be kind of bite sized and enjoyable, kind of like a bite sized brownie.

Anon: Thank you! I hope that you liked this chapter as well.

You May Call My Lord: Yes, I do, but not so much in the first chapter. The bits of magic sprinkled in the story are a bit from Bewitched, Harry Potter, and from just what I imagine what magic could do.

Homanis: I certainly did! I'm glad that you've caught that.

TwinK21: Thank you! There was certainly a nod to Harry Potter in this chapter. Peeta and Katniss are only just 11 in this before the time skip. So they're just teetering between childhood and the oncoming wave of puberty. I'm not sure if I've captured that correctly with them.

Yes and no. It's a store that pops up for people with any slight traces of magic in them, or for the truly desperate. To those without magic and desperation, it just looks like an over sized booth with nothing of interest for them.

I hope that you liked this chapter as well! c:

CrazyWithABook: You're welcome! c:

Luthein Faye: I'm glad you liked it. I hope that you liked this chapter as well. c:

Jadeorion: I'm happy that you love it so far! c:


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

Twilight stole away the colors of the day.

The last vestiges of the setting sun disappeared over the horizon. Copper hues gave way to dusty lavenders scattered with the occasional glitter and glimmer of a faraway stars. The distant skyline stood silhouetted against a velvety sky, as a golden dusk was enveloped by a darkening sky. Evergreen boughs of trees shadowed them as they stood before the marvel that was Katniss's house.

Even the air smelt different within the wards. It lacked the Seam's sooty air, and rather smelt like the deeper part of the forest past the fence they'd snuck underneath yesterday. The night air actually tasted sweet around here instead of gritty and sour.

Peeta chewed on his lower lip as he took in the varying plants, the screen door, and all the other home accessories that made this place seem kind of like a dream. Was that a red bricked chimney? A real working red bricked chimney? It was just like in those fairy tales.

A smug grin grew onto Katniss's face as she marveled at her new home as well, "Yeah. I do good work." Her chest puffed up with pride.

She was inordinately proud of the expanded cottage she'd transformed the original shack from. Sure, she'd probably need to add more plants here and there, a walk way, and maybe some outdoor lights, but she thought it looked pretty damn good in comparison to everyone else's houses around them. If you could even call them houses.

A sudden thought occurred to her, she probably needed to layer a lot more charms and wards onto her new home later. Probably... Most definitely, now that she thought about it. This placed would have to be neigh bomb proof in her opinion, for her to feel like it was truly a sanctuary. She could still recall dying from a nuclear blast in one life. Never again.

Peeta gave a start and let out a startled laugh, "More than that. Is this real? Like, truly?"

Sure, he knew that magic was real. He could still remember Shady Jim's store, and the proof before him seemed pretty solid too. It was just hard to really wrap his head around. Not even his dreams were this fantastical. Had life really eclipsed fantasy now?

Katniss patted Peeta's shoulder in her best attempt at a distracted sort of comfort, "Very much so. Come on. Help me unload the goats near that blank space with the pile of wood. Please."

She tugged on the wagon and pulled it along the improvised flattened path towards her house. There was a free space by one of the trees left over from before the house conversion. The wards would keep all the animals in and away from people. It wouldn't do, to start earning unwarranted and unwanted attention.

Katniss inwardly noted that she'd have to change the nature of the trees that were currently surrounding her house. Converting them into fruit trees at a later date, seemed beneficial. If not fruit, some kind of food bearing trees. That was for another day though.

Still processing the reality he now found himself in, Peeta nodded with a slightly strained smile, "Yeah. Sure."

They gently unloaded the goats, and watched them sniff and bleat at their new surroundings. Katniss noted Peeta's still slightly tense shoulders. She scrunched up her face and bumped shoulders with him, "You okay?"

He blinked off the surprise that spread across his face. Tilting his head towards Katniss, Peeta sheepishly scratched at his cheek, a lopsided smile tugging onto his lips, "Yup. Just... Ah- Trying to process it."

This was a lot to take in, all at once, for Peeta. It'd probably have been easier if he was introduced to this gradually, but he didn't regret it. If magic came with Katniss, then he'd accept it. There was no questioning that.

An understanding expression shrouded Katniss's face as she slowly nodded, "Okay."

Coughing into her hand, she stretched out her back before letting air seep past her teeth. She threw Peeta a sympathetic grin over her shoulder, "You're gonna see much more magic from here on out. Okay?"

With a deep breath, Peeta resolved to do better. Steeling himself for another bout of magic, he nodded, "Yes. That's okay. I mean- I'm okay."

Her eyes twinkled, while she bounced on the heels of her feet. With twitching hands, she took in deep breaths in and out. Katniss's countenance calmed as she faced the goats. Staring down the browner goat of the two, she snapped her fingers, and felt her magical core jerk into action. The goat bleated in fear and pain as it contorted for a moment, before it's shaped seemed to swell right before it popped into a short poof of smoke. As the smoke cleared, a high pitched moo sounded out.

When only wisps of smoke were left, Peeta could hardly believe his eyes. Instead of two goats, a miniature cow and a goat stood side by side. Today was turning out kind of wild, in Peeta's opinion.

His mouth hung agape as he slowly blinked, "Did you just-?" Peeta clicked his jaw shut as his mind whirred with the possibilities of just what happened.

With a nonchalant shrug Katniss strode over to the animals and crouched down. Under a careful gaze, she inspected them and thoughtfully tapped her bottom lip, "Mhmm. I just turned this goat into a miniature Jersey cow. From what I figure, this little one should let out about 1 to 1 1/2 gallons of milk per day. I'm also fairly sure that she'll be grass-fed kind of like the goat too. I can only really change up small and medium animals. Haven't tried anything bigger."

Peeta paled slightly as he visibly gulped, "...Like people?"

She looked up at him from her crouched position with a frown before shaking her head, "Nah. I'm not that cold blooded. It hurts creatures, transfiguring them that way, but only for a moment. I don't know the side effects that would be inflicted on a person, so I wouldn't want to."

The miniature Jersey cow no longer seemed to be in pain as it mooed at the goat beside it. Shaking off her tired bones, Katniss stood up and moved to stand closer to Peeta once more.

Peeta, to his credit, didn't let this revelation deter his resolve to still be friends with Katniss. Chewing on his lower lip, he let out a thoughtful hum, "Huh. Still... That's kind of cool. Is that mini cow okay now though?"

She beamed a grin at him and gestured to her new home, "Oh yeah. Come on. Help me put stuff away and set up for Prim's surprise?"

Inwardly, Peeta spluttered at that notion. Surely, this entire house and the animals would be enough of a surprise gift? Even his cake didn't compare to this.

Absentmindedly, he nodded and followed along after her, like a dingy to a tugboat, "Sure. Sure. This surprise seems more than enough of a surprise for me, but hold on. How will your mom and Prim get in through the wards?" What did wards actually do if you didn't bleed for them to get through? Would something bad happen?

Katniss stuck her tongue out a little while she thought, before slowly nodding, "Ahhh. They should be here in a bit, and since they're already blood related to me, they could pass through the wards on their own. The sight of our changed house should stall them at any rate."

With that new information, Peeta paused. Sure he thought that Prim might not know about the house, but even her mother not knowing? He shook his head, a bemused smile pulled at his lip, "They both don't know you changed the house?"

Katniss carelessly shrugged as they walked down the path towards the front of her house, "Nope. They will when they get here though. As an additional surprise, I thought we could have Prim's first birthday without my dad. I want it to be great... To, you know, show her that they still can be. Do you get what I mean?" An uncomfortable look pressed down onto her face, making the smile she attempted to give Peeta, seemed strained and frayed at the edges.

He huffed out a breath and watched the slight white fog escape past his lips. Scrunching up his face, he caught up to Katniss's strides and walked beside her. A thoughtful look furrowed his brows, "Yeah... I mean... Sort of. I never lost anyone I value as much as my dad. Maybe my uncle Marek. He was beyond great and my dad actually stood up to my mom sometimes when he was around."

Those were glorious days. They were never beaten whenever their uncle Marek was around. He never understood why, but his mother had been oddly frightened of his bear of an uncle, even with his cheerful disposition.

Katniss tilted her head and blinked. She'd seen and met a lot of people before, but she didn't recall him. Slipping a key into the lock on her front door, she turned it with a quiet click, "Huh. I'd never heard of him. What happened?"

Peeta rubbed the back of his neck as he looked away from Katniss, a morose tone colored his voice, "Ahhh. Tracker jackers got him."

She paused at that, and didn't budge from her position at the entrance of her doorway, "Oh. Well, damn... Do you mind if I ask how?

Another one of the Capitol's muttations, tracker jackers. Tracker jackers were killer wasps, emphasis on the killer. Like the jabberjays, they were spawned in a lab and strategically placed like land mines around the districts during the war. They were twice as large than regular wasps, and had a distinctive solid gold body. They also had glowing beady acid green eyes, along with a sting that could raise a lump the size of a plum on contact. Most people couldn't tolerate more than a few stings before the side effects kicked in. Some, died at once. If someone managed to live, the hallucinations brought on by the venom tended to drive people mad.

The other insidious part of these beasts, was that they would hunt down anyone who disturbed their nests. They would keep attempting to kill them even if you attacked back. It was much like how normal wasps could hold a grudge and attack people that would disturb their nests, but worse. Them actively hunting people down, was where the tracker part of the name came from.

After the war, the Capitol destroyed all the nests surrounding their city, but the ones near the other districts were left untouched. Another reminder of the rebel's weakness, she supposed. Another punishment, just like the Hunger Games. Another reason to keep inside the fences of District 12. Whenever she and her dad had come across a tracker jacker nest, they immediately headed in the opposite direction. It wasn't worth death to stray too close to those things.

His expression shuttered, as he pulled on a weak smile, "I don't mind, but I don't really know. I asked why he didn't come back one day, and my dad just said tracker jackers had gotten him." Peeta shrugged helplessly.

One day, he'd find out what really happened to his uncle Marek. For now though, he'd just have to put that quest in the back of his mind.

Katniss hesitated for a moment, before she squared her shoulders. She wasn't that good at comforting people, but she could try. Tentatively, she patted his shoulder and consolingly murmured, "I'm sorry."

This time, the smile that graced his face actually reached his eyes, "S'okay. It was a long long time ago. What do you need me to do again?"

He hated the brief bout of pity that flickered across Katniss's face when he mentioned his missing uncle. A change of topic was needed, in his opinion.

Scrunching up her nose, she hummed under her breath and looked around. Once she spotted a clear spot near the house, she gestured towards the goat and the mini cow, "Here, help me get these two over there. Bah, if only the other animals would gather round these two."

Katniss wanted her surprise to be beyond obvious. Certainly enough to shock Prim into joy, so much joy that any hesitation or anger that her mother may have to this would be overshadowed. She was getting on better terms with this body's mother, but she didn't want to take a chance for any objections to their new home or her plans for the future.

While Peeta and Katniss gently led the animals to a better spot near the house, he furrowed his brows, "Animals?"

Tying the leashes to a nearby post, Katniss clicked her tongue, "Yup. We have an, ugly as sin, kitten, and a bunch of chickens too. Come on in though. We have work to do."

Striding into the house with purposeful steps, the gears in her head whirred. Peeta trailed after her, his head swiveling this way and that.

He let out a low whistle, doing his best to memorize everything he was seeing, "Wow. This place is beautiful."

A broad grin brightened Katniss's face, "Thanks. It's not fully furnished as you can see, but I think even with the minimum things, it's still much nicer than before." She pursed her lips and thought about how she could manage to get more furnishings. Perhaps magic would help?

Peeta shot Katniss a disbelieving look, snorting out a laugh, "Katniss, this is much nicer than my own house. Heck, I bet even the Mayor's too."

Katniss tilted her head, a frown furrowing her brow, "Yeah? You think so?"

It didn't seem like much to her considering her last lives, but she supposed that it was much better than the squalor people were used to living in now.

His eyes sparkled and crinkled, his lips stretching from cheek to cheek, "Mhmm. Never seen the inside of it, but I bet you it is. It looks just like those dreamy hazy commercials the Capitol makes of houses you could get if you just win the Hunger games in one of the other districts. Like the one with all the pine trees near the coast."

The commercial suddenly played out behind her eyes, and it clicked into place in her brain. With wide eyes, she smacked a fist into her open palm, "Ahhh. Oh! I totally remember that commercial. I think that was district 7."

Her attention was brought back onto a more pressing issue as she stared at her new home. Humming under her breath she, pursed her lips in thought, "Anyways, I can put away the groceries later, but I would like this place to be a bit more festive."

Peeta rose a brow at that comment, "How though? It's not like the Merchant Market, or even the Hob I bet, sells decorations for stuff like this. Parties are kind of decoration deprived around here, Katniss." His tone took a softer note at the end of his commentary. It wasn't something that people liked to mention about this district. How unhappy and grey their little slice of life could be.

"Oh yee of little faith. Check this out," Katniss pulled out a couple pieces of the toilet paper that they'd gotten earlier and squashed them in her hand as she pulled and twisted her magic around them.

With a flourish, and a little bit of Katniss's magic, pale pink and gold streamers sprung into bunches from her hands.

Peeta blinked and barked out a laugh, "That's so cool." Magic really was quite extraordinary.

A delicate flush peppered her cheeks, "I'm glad you think so. This is the kitchen." She gestured at the bright clean kitchen that lay in front of them. With its shiny stainless steel appliances, bright cabinetry, and dark counter tops, it was leagues better than any commercial kitchen in their district.

Peeta rushed over too the kitchen, swiveling on the balls of his feet trying to take it all in at once. He gingerly opened each cabinet and drawer, awe painted onto his face. Letting his fingers feel the steel appliances, his body shivered a little. Scooting near the kitchen island, he gently placed his warm face against the cool quartz counter top.

He let out a deeply satisfied sigh, "Ohhh! I've never seen a kitchen so nice. Well, if you discount those ads for the Hunger games. Hunting houses, for you."

A catchy tune echoed in her ears, as another commercial flashed across her mind. A disgruntled look scrunched up her face, "That commercial sucks, and is so inappropriate."

It was a commercial with a catchy tune, and bright images. That alone was forgivable, but the Capitolites that made it had no shame. They'd used old footage of the victims of the Hunger Games, before they perished, in that commercial. Showing off how if you had a house like whatever they were selling, you could escape the hell of poverty. Like they ever knew what the hell real poverty was.

Peeta's face turned grim as he pulled himself upright, "Catchy though."

Rolling her eyes, she shrugged before passing him and standing in front of the kitchen island, "Touche. So I was thinking of hanging these streamers up over there. It'll also hide the other portion of the house from my mom and Prim." She bounced the streamers in her hands, as she ran through decoration ideas in her head.

Peeta strode over to her and eyed the streamers clutched in her hands, "Those are a lot of streamers. How are we gonna hang them there?"

Glancing at him briefly before looking back up to the ceiling above the kitchen island, she bit her inner cheek, "Hmmm... Sticking charms? Yeah, definitely sticking charms."

At the thought of magic being able to do something so mundane, Peeta let out a guffaw, "I suppose you'll never need tape again."

Playfully nudging him, Katniss tugged over a nearby step ladder and snorted, "Hah. As if I could've ever afforded tape. That stuff is more expensive than two loaves of bread." Katniss plopped down the streamers on the kitchen island before climbing up on top of the counter.

Peeta smiled up at her as he handed her some streamers. A thoughtful frown scrunched up his nose, "True. True. We only ever have tape in the bakery supplies in order to make it seem more Capitol friendly. For you know, when those people come for the Hunger Games."

She paused in doing her self appointed task. Biting her cheek, a deep sigh escaped her, "Huh. I didn't know that. Well. Come on. I think I need more streamers."

They hung up the decorations with deft hands and quiet conversation between them. In less than 10 minutes the two children finished up, and Peeta pulled out the pristine birthday cake. He laid it on top of the quartz counter top still in the box, and frowned as he looked around.

Katniss peered down at him as she carefully climbed down off of the kitchen island. Dusting off imaginary dust off of her shirt and pants, she pursed her lips like a duck, "What?"

Peeta bit his inner cheek and scratched at his face for a moment before replying, "I dunno. In this house, with the decor and stuff... It looks kind of bare with just the cake." He looked down at the cake box again with a frown.

A thoughtful look flashed across Katniss's face, "Do you have the time?" The gears in her head started cachunking as an idea formed. If it was early enough, it wouldn't be so bad to try out her newest plan...

"Oh. Umm," he looked around before he spotted an ancient looking wall clock. Peeta frowned and bit his lower lip, "It's about 5:30 pm."

His curfew was a little later, and he was sure that his older brothers would cover for him again. Even though they'd probably tease the hell out of him later for having his little girlfriend, or possible future girlfriend, be the reason for risking their mother's wrath.

Katniss tsked as she shook her head, "Damn. It's getting late. You still wanna help me set up dinner?" She knew that keeping Peeta out later would probably spell bad news for him, but she was also aware that he still wore the amulet she'd made for him. It'd keep him safe, especially from his mother. With that thought buffering her confidence, she shot him a bright expectant grin.

A flush filled his face as a slow smile spread across his lips, "Sure! I'd love to actually get to try cooking in a kitchen this nice. It'll definitely be a dream come true."

He wasn't lying in that aspect. It was one of the few things he'd jotted down into his secret notebook. A to-do list that he dreamed of completing one day. Dreams that didn't seem they'd ever come true. Cooking in a kitchen just like this would definitely accomplish one of those impossible dreams.

They cooked up a storm of mashed potatoes, baked salmon, and fried wild vegetables. The savory smells of their hard work wafted around the house, making their bellies grumble and gurgle. Soon Katniss's ears perked up to the sound of Prim's squealing and her mother's gasps of surprise. She gave Peeta a grin before she ran out of the house to meet them. Peeta happily turned off the oven and stove before jogging slowly after her.

Her mother stared at everything with wide eyes, her hands were clutched to her mouth as she gasped, "Katniss. How did you-? What about the neighbors? Oh, God... The peacekeepers. Even with how lax they are, they would never let us live in a place this nice..." Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, the thoughts of their doom rapidly swirling in her minds eye. Her breathing quickened into a panicked pace.

Katniss glanced at her pale and shaking mother. Inwardly, she rolled her eyes. That woman should really have more faith in her.

Another part of her could understand her mother's worries though. People of the Seam weren't allowed luxuries like this. The Townies were allowed small luxuries, but from what new information she'd gathered from Peeta, there were always strings attached. Still, she did want to scoff a little at the fear of being discovered. She'd warded their place to be neigh impossible to find if anyone was hostile in any way, so danger in and around their new home wasn't possible.

Prim had no such problems, however. The grin on her face spread from cheek to cheek, as her eyes sparkled with joy, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! They're for me right? This baby cow and this goat? I'm gonna call you Lady and you... Ummm... I'll call you Bessy." She hugged her new animals close to her chest, ignoring their sounds of discomfort for the moment.

Katniss chuckled, "Surprise! I have more surprises inside. And no. No one will see, mother. It's more magic. I'll explain later. Come on. Prim, come on in. There's more to see than just the animals."

She gently patted her mother's back, and led both of them towards the house. Peeta helped steer back the animals to their original positions before hurrying after them.

Prim looked up at her sister and tilted her head, "Okay. Okay. I mean, the house is beautiful, but I doubt anything could top the animals, Katniss."

Their mother stumbled after them and muttered, "I feel light headed." She let her hand fall onto her forehead as she did her best to take in deep breaths in and out. This was way more fantastical than just a magic bag.

With a confident clap on her back, Katniss did her best to sort of reassure her worrying mother, "You'll be okay. I've made it so that only we can see and enter this place. Besides that, if anyone has any hostile intentions, they won't be able to find this place at all. They won't remember it. Don't worry I'll make it even better later on. Just trust me. Oh, and I brought Peeta over."

Katniss threw her mother a small reassuring smile.

Taking in a couple deep breaths, their mother settled her thrumming heart. She bit her lip and hesitantly followed after her headstrong daughter.

Peeta popped up, starling Prim into surprised laughter, "Surprise! Happy Birthday Prim. Hello, Mrs. Everdeen." He gave them a perky wave, bouncing to a beat they couldn't hear.

A slow warm smile wormed it's way onto her face. Her eyes softened as she helplessly waved back, "Hello, sweet boy. You knew about this too, huh..."

He silently nodded a wide grin pinching his eyes closed for a moment.

As Prim stepped through the threshold of their new home, her eyes widened. Breathlessly she gasped, "Oh. My. God. Is that-?"

Their mother's hand flew to her chest as she peered around her, muttering, "Oh my. This is-"

Katniss cut off her mother, too exited to be polite, "I know right! Welcome to our new lives. Come on, little duck. Stand here while we sing."

Prim blinked rapidly as she complied, silently mouthing, "Wow."

Both her mother and Prim seemed to devour the room and the feast before them with their eyes. Prim's nose twitched at all the different smells. Her mother pinched her lips, her eyes watered again.

Peeta slunk in to stand by Katniss. Muttering sheepishly under his breath, he poked her side, "I don't- I can't really sing that well, Katniss."

Katniss looked over at him with a raised brow and a funny grin, "Peeta, you'll be fine. Trust me?"

He tilted his head, a beat of silence passed between them, before solemnly replying, "Always."

They began singing after Katniss lit up the birthday candles. Firelight warmed Prim's face as sweet and savory scents swirled around her. Their warm voices intermingled into a sweet melody and bounced around the bare house, "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Prim! Happy birthday to you. Make a wish!"

Prim pinched her eyes closed, scrunched her nose up, and gently blew out her candles. Her one thought was that besides wishing her dad could be there, she really didn't need to wish for anything else.

Before Prim could dip her finger into the chocolate icing, Katniss pulled out a delicate envelope and gently thrust it into her little sister's hands, "Oh! One more thing. Ta da! A birthday card."

Prim's eyes watered as she threw her arms around her sister. Squeezing Katniss with all the strength her little body had, her voice stuttered out, "Thank- Thank you... Thank you so much!" Tears sprang out of her eyes, dripping down her cheeks as she gasped for breaths.

Their mother bit her lip, softly murmuring, "Oh, sweetheart..." She wrung her hands, worry stitched across her face. She wasn't sure how to console her daughter. She, herself, was still dealing with a complicated set of emotions right now.

Katniss sadly smiled down at her little sister and cooed while gently rubbing her back, "Don't cry, little duck. It's okay. It's okay."

Peeta let a breath hiss out of his mouth, a distressed expression encompassed his face, "Ahhh. I'm sorry, Prim. I thought you'd like the cake." He assumed it must've been that because everything that Katniss had done for her little sister toady was so much more magical, much better than his paltry offering.

Prim swiveled her head to shoot Peeta a pout, "No. No, I love the cake. The new house, the food, my new animals, and- and... I just wish dad could be here to see this too..." She shoved her fists against her eyes, desperately trying to scrub away her tears.

Katniss bit down on her lip hard enough to almost break skin. She let her head rest against Prim's before humming, "I know..."

Peeta inched closer and whispered, "Do you... Do you want a group hug?" An uncomfortable and awkward look hung around him.

Katniss tilted her head, "Peeta?" She trusted that he wasn't being weird, but it wasn't something that their family did. From his earnest expression she knew he didn't mean any harm with his suggestion though.

C learning his throat and moving his weight from one foot to another, he scratched at his arm, "Sometimes when things get really bad at the bakery, my dad forces me and my brothers into a group hug. It usually works." He shrugged helplessly, hoping that his suggestion would at least somewhat help.

A determined look pulled onto their mother's face as she tugged all the children together, "Okay. Come on in then."

Katniss rose a brow and smothered the urge to snicker. Letting herself and Prim be pulled into a group hug, she gently murmured, "Happy birthday, Prim."

Her mother hearing her quiet greeting, tearfully smiled as she choked out, "Thank you, Katniss. For all of this."

Looking up at her new mother, her heart thawed a little, "You're welcome, mom." Maybe they would be okay. One day.

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AN: Thank you to everyone that stuck with this and read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story. And to those that reviewed, a quadruple thank you to the people that left reviews. You guys are majestic!

8goose8: I'm so glad you're liking the story so far. I'm sorry for the inconsistent late updates for this story.

Luthien Faye: I'm happy that you liked the last chapter. I hope that you liked this one too. I'll definitely look into adding more interactions with her other family members so we can have a better peek at their family's history with one another.

TwinK21: Thank you! He's trying. I hope you liked this chapter too.

Guest: I hope you liked this chapter too. c:

Kikari no segaiu: Thank you, I'm happy that you liked the last chapter. I'll try to write out more fluff between the two of them, but I did really mean

TwinkK21: Thank you. I've gotten a little better, but it's still hard to write and get going sometimes.

Guest: I'm so glad you like it so far! c:


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Chimes rang out through the room.

A faded wooden clock hung up in the corner of the living room reminded them that there was a time limit on their fun. Their laughter and jokes, that rang between them, faded slowly.

They all looked up at the clock, varying expressions flickered on their faces. Peeta looked and winced. Prim frowned at the clock in dismay. Their mother's eyes watered, but that always happened when she saw anything their father had made and left them. Katniss sighed, disappointment evident on her face.

Night had finally fallen, wrapping the day in dark chilly blanket, filling the ink-soaked sky with specks of glittering light. The wafting breeze was cold and crisp. Smells of the forest and wet dirt drifted throughout the house dancing around scents of their leftovers. With a pinched smile, Peeta started saying his goodbyes once the party had finally wrapped up. Prim gave him an extra big hug, and their mother tucked a healing salve into his hands. He sheepishly nodded at their kindness, embarrassment starting to blossom into his face.

Katniss walked him out of her house, damp cold grass bent under her as she walked along with him, "Thanks for helping out today."

She steadily carried a bag with wrapped up leftovers and his grocery bag from earlier. She held it out to him, an expectant look painted on her face. The wind traced her exposed skin, creating goose flesh in its wake.

He let out a breath, condensation puffing out in front of his face for a moment. The light from her house, traced his features making his blue eyes darker. Rolling his eyes, he gingerly took the bags with a faint laugh.

Peeta scratched at his cheek, a small grin graced his face, "Thanks. And you can count on me any time. I'll see you tomorrow?" He shifted his weight from one foot to another, trying to get a sturdier grasp on his bags.

"Definitely," taking a chance, she stepped into his personal space and gently hugged him around his neck.

His heart constricted, thudding in his ears. Doing the best he could with his hands occupied, he gathered Katniss into his chest. There would probably be a walloping in his near future, but these memories would definitely comfort him.

Katniss hoped he wouldn't find himself at the end of his mother's rolling pin for helping her with Prim's birthday. The odds, however, weren't in her favor. She was only really comforted with the fact that he'd be much safer with his amulet. Panic filled her belly as doubt crept onto the edges of her mind about it failing. She chomped down on her lower lip, causing pain to distract her for a moment.

Taking a deep breath, she silently wished in her head, 'Please, if anyone is listening. Let this amulet work. Please?'

As Peeta disappeared past the wards into the darkness of the Seam, Katniss stared hard, squinting into the night. With neither hide nor hair of Peeta in sight, she headed back into the house.

Locking the door firmly behind her, Katniss sighed. She crossed her arms and rubbed away the remnants of the cold night that clung to her skin. Her brows furrowed, 'Was it normal to worry this much?'

She turned around and couldn't help but snort out a laugh. The sight before her made her worries dull. Prim sat on the floor in their bare living room. Her wide grin made her blue eyes sparkle. She happily petted and cooed at the animals that had gathered around her. Breathless giggles escaped her as her new pets lapped up food from her small hands.

Seeing Prim so happy, made the knot in Katniss's belly unwind. The sound of cabinets opening and closing made her wander further into the house.

She caught a glance at their mother gently putting away the leftovers, a surreal look painted on her face. It was a nice change from her previous blank stares, but Katniss faced a new worry. How well was her new mother really dealing with all this change? People normally didn't like change, and this would be more than enough to put people off of a person.

Katniss chewed on her lower lip as she continued staring at their mother. Slowly, she put away all of the leftover food, traces of awe still flitting across her face when she glanced at the appliances they now had. Appliances that seemed to only be reserved for the elite and the unfortunate few who won the games. Deciding that her mother wasn't going to get spooked, Katniss meandered into the kitchen.

Her mother looked up after putting away the last bit of food into their fridge, "Hello, Katniss. What's wrong?" She dusted off her pants and raised a brow at the frown that seemed cemented on her daughter's face.

"Nothing's wrong. I just feel a little bad since I didn't get to help clean up, and I think I may be giving us all a bit more work," Katniss bit her lower lip and kicked at the clean floor. Her frown still furrowed her forehead.

Her mother shook her head and gently rubbed her eldest's back, "It's no problem. That's what moms are for. And, what do you mean?" She seared for answers on Katniss's face.

"Well..." Katniss swayed from side to side before a resolute look replaced the frown on her face. Slowly she pulled out the grocery bags from her leather bag. Bramwell's Grocery was painted with a curling cursive on the grocery bags. A coffee tin stuck out from one of the overflowing bags.

"Oh my... Bramwell's still alive," her mother breathed out. Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes before she hurriedly scrubbed them away. Her mother's eyes widened as Katniss pulled more and more groceries from her leather bag. Her stomach knotted. This was so much food and just general living supplies. She couldn't recall when they had more than just enough to live off of. And was that an actual tin of coffee? She hadn't had coffee since she was a newlywed.

"Yup. He sends his love to you and Prim, by the way. Annnd, that should be it. I went to a supply run after trading some meat with Rooba. Surprise," Katniss continued to empty her bag of holding, not just of the groceries. It'd be good to keep the food and supplies she'd kept in the bag from before into their new home. That way everyone could have access to it all, just in case, anyone got hungry.

"Bramwell is good people. I'm glad he got out alive," gently she traced the cursive writing on the grocery bags. Her mother stared out past the bags lost in her memories.

Katniss cleared her throat and winced, "More or less, he only has one leg now."

Her mother flinched and was shaken out of her memories. A morose expression framed her face, "God. I don't know what's worse. I'm glad he has his stand and a reliable supplier. Being without a job while you're disabled like that is usually a death sentence around here."

"Yeah. I guess he really is lucky in that respect," Katniss started to unload her bags of groceries, showing off their various goodies. Chocolate, coffee, and cereal came out first. Salt, sugar, spices, flour, oil, toiletries, a small sack of rice, canned meats, pasta noodles, canned sauces, along with fresh vegetables and fruits that they couldn't find in the woods followed after.

Primrose bounced over with Buttercup cradled in her arms, "Wow! What's all that? Ohhh. And that! What's that?" She swiveled her head this way and that trying to take everything laid out on the kitchen island with her eyes.

Katniss tilted her head and smiled down at her little sister. She picked up the large chocolate bar and a peach with gentle hands, "Well, that's chocolate little duck and peaches. And a whole bunch of other things,"

"I've never seen fresh peaches before. They look just like they do on the cans," Prim gingerly put Buttercup down as she held up a peach to her nose and inhaled. A smile bloomed on her face as a sweet scent filled her nose, awe making her eyes sparkle.

After the last bit of food was stored away in the fridge, their mother let out a relieved sigh. A small smile graced her face, making her eyes crinkle, "Alright. Now that, that's all put away. I say we should all head to bed. Tomorrow is still a school day."

Katniss stretched out her back, "That's true. I could use some sleep." Today had been a rather long day.

Prim pouted, bouncing on her heels she shot her sister and mother a wide-eyed frown, "Awww!"

A wane grin pulled at her mother's lips as she gathered her youngest daughter into her arms. Swaying, she cooed, "Come on now Primrose."

Shooting Prim an exasperated grin, Katniss snorted, "Goodnight little duck, goodnight mom."

Prim made a face before acquiescing. Giving both her sister and her mother a big hug, she hummed, "Well, okay. Goodnight Katniss! Night mama!"

Their mother nodded and slowly started herding Prim up the stairs, "Goodnight girls. I love you both. And Katniss? Thank you. This was wonderful. I know your father would've been proud of you."

Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes as she watched her mother and little sister head up the stairs ahead of her. She scrubbed her eyes and sniffed. Those words hit her harder than she expected. Slowly, she shook her head. A bath would probably help clear her head.

Katniss went up past the second floor up to the bathroom adjacent to her new attic bedroom. The shiny white room, faintly smelling of pine and mint, was a nice change. After a moment of patience, the tap she turned on filled the large porcelain tub with steaming hot water. With a flourish of her wrist, she added a small bag of dried flowers that perfumed the air with hints of lavender.

No one in the Seam was used to the luxury of turning on a tap and having a limitless supply of clean, let alone hot, water at their fingertips. It was a novelty, that she doubted would really wear off. In her last life, it'd been a human right before everything turned horrible. Here, people had little rights to even eating enough, so it wasn't that surprising. Before she'd changed their lives around, she could recall past Katniss resigning herself to only having cold grimy water at their shack in the Seam. A bath, from before the change, had meant boiling multiple pots over the fire.

She shook those thoughts away as she undressed and lowered herself into the silky clear water. Dried lavender floated in clusters here and there on the water's surface. Katniss ignored them as she slid further down into the water, letting it block out the quiet nighttime sounds that pierced through her bathroom window.

Life was hard here, but it wasn't anything she'd not been through before. Although... It was distressing to note how resigned a lot of people were in this world. Numb to the pains and pangs of starvation in the faces of the people around them, and the outright abject poverty. No class within District 12 was spared unless you were directly working for the Capitol in the Justice building, but even then... They too, would fall into starvation and end up doing whatever they had to. It stunned her that no one had tried to pull some sort of coup or revolution again. Most places put under this type of stress tended to fall into that...

She made a face under the water before shaking away those dangerous thoughts. Those were thoughts that could get a person killed. Still though... It didn't make sense, and that bothered her.

Breaching the surface with a gasp of air, she slicked down her long hair. Everything faintly smelt of lavender, making her tense muscles relax. With a frown, she hummed, "I kind of wish the tub would expand so I could go swimming. That seems silly though. Oh well. I always have the lake..." Shrugging that unrealistic want away, she leaned back to soak in the tub before actually washing up.

Rubbing her hair dry with a towel, she pulled on a thin nightgown and climbed into bed. They'd definitely need more supplies to make their lives even better than her last one. Although, it might fall short because of the whole dictatorship that seemed to govern all of Panem. Pushing those thoughts aside, she let her eyes flutter closed. Snuggling into her comforter, she deeply breathed in and out. In and out.

An hour passed, but still, sleep alluded her. Katniss stubbornly snuggled further into her new bed. Two hours pass by and her eyelids refuse to get heavy. Anxiety weighs in her chest making her toss and turn. Again. And again. Finally, her eyes open to glare at the ceiling. With an angry huff, she slips out of her new bed and started pacing the floor. Her heart thudded in her ears, her breath felt short as the anxiety of tomorrow rose.

Round and round she walked around her new room biting her thumbnail. After wandering around for the 20th time, she slumped onto her bed with a deep sigh. Letting her head loll to the side she spotted her carving tools and some soap stones on her nightstand. She blinked once. Twice. An idea flashed across her sleep-deprived mind.

Reaching over, she plucked her tools and a small piece of soapstone. Sitting up, she crossed her legs and began carving. As she carved bit by bit, her heart and anxiety slowly receded until it was just a lingering shadow at the back of her mind.

Minutes raced by as she carved away at the soapstone. Finally, after what seemed to be hours, she held up a Mockingjay amulet against the ceiling light. The dark blue stone glinted in the dull light as she held it this way and that. Finding that it was good enough, she deftly carved a hole into it before stringing it onto her gold chain.

Gently pulling on her necklace, she felt the cool stone warm against her skin. Taking a deep sigh, she peeked out of her window. The sky was still an inky blanket. Maybe she could get some sleep still.

Gingerly laying down under her covers, she closed her eyes and waited. And waited. Eventually, heaviness infused her whole body, as if there was liquid lead slowly being poured into her veins. Her eyelids relax, as drowsiness consumes her.

Sometimes when things feel particularly bad, or she got too anxious, her brain would give her a happy dream. As Katniss faded in and out of consciousness, she smiled, 'Maybe in this body, I'll get a visit with my father in the woods. Or maybe an hour of sunlight and delicious cakes with Prim.'

Moving to sleep on her side, her thoughts continued to drift, 'Prim will undoubtedly sleep with my mother tonight. Having a new room will be nice, but she'll probably need comfort in this new spacious environment.' The thought of that scruffy kitten, Buttercup, posting himself on the bed to watch over Prim comforted her. If Prim cries out, he could nose his way into her arms and curl up there until she calms down and falls back asleep.

And with that, Morpheus engulfed her into the darkness.

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Above the tangerine mountains, kissed the heady blush of the sun. Clouds moved in blustering herds. And so, the sky was equal parts a blooming blue and a chorus of white, streaked with coppers and golds. The tops of the fluff balls were cast in crimson, bathed in a rosy glow. Mellow blues and pinks blurred together to create a gorgeous scene as the sun slowly rose past the tops of tall swaying trees.

Before Katniss has managed to fully awaken, she desperately tried to hold onto the remnants of her fading dream.

The dream was of this body's father, him laughing with sparkling eyes in the sunlight as they fished by the lake, but it quickly slips away the more she grasps for it. Maybe he's happier wherever he is. Hopefully, he isn't stuck in an endless cycle of lives. That thought makes her sleepily smile. For several moments, she remains motionless, with only her chest rising and falling with each deep breath. The haze of sleep still loomed over her.

Beams of sunlight slip into her room past her makeshift curtains. The sun burns off the last bits of her sleepy haze as it warms her eyelids. It almost immediately blinds her as she opens her eyes, and she can tell that today will be hotter than usual. The sun persists in rising, so with a squinting glare, she makes herself slowly get up. All her joints complain, while her arms tingle in pain. It takes several minutes of pacing to bring the feeling back into her arms.

Katniss makes a face, her worries from last night rushed back into the forefront of her mind. With dragging feet, she forces herself to take a shower drowning out her worries.

As she trots down the stairs, movements in the kitchen perk her ears up. She paused, 'Mother and Prim must be up.'

Ducking off of the stairs, she peered into the kitchen. Her mother stood at their new stove, the smell of frying eggs gave away what she was making. Wandering further into the kitchen she spied a wooden tray by her mother. A cracked teapot, cream, sugar, and dishes of some hot freshly sliced bread, along with a choice of butter, jam, and thick slices of roast grooslings for toppings covered the tray.

Prim sat in the corner of the kitchen, sitting on an upturned bucket. With deft hands and her tongue sticking out, she quietly milked her goat before switching over to her miniature cow.

Feeling a little useless, Katniss poured a small bowl of feed for the chickens before grabbing a bowl of entrails for their cat. Settling them onto the ground, she let out a low whistle. Chickens scrambled into the kitchen with Buttercup nipping at their feet. They slipped as they piled face-first into their food. Buttercup shot the chickens a smug grin as he swaggered to his bowl, tail flicking this way and that.

Prim snorted out a laugh as she let the goat and mini cow out before putting away the milk. Katniss shrugged and slipped into a nearby seat. Their mother giggled as she set their table up for breakfast.

Hopping into a chair, Prim greedily drank in the breakfast that they had in front of them with her eyes. Her hands twitched in anticipation. Her mother smiled as she waved her hand in encouragement, "Go ahead. Good morning girls."

With gusto, Prim served herself a large plate of breakfast, "Thank you, mama. Morning!"

Buttering a slice of bread, their mother tilted her head at Katniss, "Thank you for feeding the animals, Katniss."

Katniss shrugged and smiled, "Not a problem." Loading up her plate, she sucked in a savory breath and happily hummed.

As they ate, the clinking of cutlery on their plates rang out their bare home. Slumping slightly back into her chair with a satisfied grin, their mother sighed, "I'm glad we can have breakfast this way. You know, your father and I wanted better lives for you girls. Something like this, even if was a pot shot. I feel bad that your father couldn't enjoy this too."

Prim paused in biting her jam covered bread, her throat suddenly dry. With a pained gulp, she slowly nodded. It was hard to not enjoy their new prosperity, but the reality of her daddy never being their certainly soured her joy.

Katniss bit her inner cheek, "Yeah."

An awkward silence permeated the air between them for a moment before their mother pulled on a strained smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Anyways. You girls have school, and I have a bunch of patients to deal with. The other healers are too busy with this influx of patients with fevers and measles. It'd help if we had actual medicine, but what can you do. I might be late coming home, so you girls don't have to wait to have dinner with me. I'll be fine."

With that, they finished their breakfast in silence before their mother planted kisses onto their temples. Gently handing them both identical-looking paper bags, their mother waved at them before they all headed off to their respective destinations.

0=0=0=0=0=0

Mr. Malloy droned on about today's lesson, which was the same as yesterday; the basics and anything coal-related. The only interesting thing Katniss managed to learn today was that the Capitol was built in a place once called the Rockies. And that District 12 was in a region known as Appalachia. Along with the fact that hundreds of years ago, they mined coal here. That was probably why the miners had to dig so deep presently.

He then went on to another lecture on the history of Panem. Today was different, however. Today, he showed a propaganda video from the Capitol. One that they apparently only showed once a year.

The video was a reminder that life couldn't thrive when a country is at war with itself, and that there were consequences. Flashes of reminders of working together to keep a mysterious external enemy from enslaving them all were layered under everything. Reminders that this was the true enemy. The real reason as to why the world had turned into the current shit hole that they found themselves in. She didn't figure it was true though. It made her bullshit detector ring.

Poking around the building, Katniss found something else rather strange. There wasn't a school nurse or any basic medicine available to anyone that wasn't dying. Not one of Advil or Tylenol to be found.

She pulled at what gumption she had and asked a nearby teacher that looked genial enough, "Mrs. Howe?"

A graying petite Seam colored woman startled, before smiling at the sight of Katniss, "Oh. Hello, Miss. Everdeen. What can I do for you?"

Fidgeting and twisting her fingers, Katniss sheepishly murmured, "I had a question for the school nurse, but I can't find her."

Wrinkling her nose, she let out an airy laugh, "Ah. Those are one of those new-age jokes the kids say now. Right?"

Katniss frowned as she slowly shook her head, "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Howe blinked before realization dawned on her. Lowering her voice, she looked this way and that before cautiously whispering, "Oh sweet child. It isn't just the doctors that aren't quite...umm...allowed to treat- all of us. Even any nurses in this district are only- Umm... Allowed to bring in the hopelessly mangled, or women stuck in labor. No one should really talk to them. Everyone just has to take a chance with death. These rules were placed on our district after the 50th Hunger Games. No one quite knows why. I'm sorry."

A sad resigned expression washed onto Mrs. Howe's face. It was the same one her mother and Prim wore when dealing with unavoidable hardship when it came to their patients.

Katniss had the sudden urge to run away into the woods. The urge to hide in the trees until the thoughts of innocent dying people were long gone was overwhelming. Hide until the knowledge that in another part of the Seam, hammers kept making more coffins, had faded. She pulled on a fake smile and nodded. Mrs. Howe gently patted her head before sending her on her way as the bell rang.

The more she found out about this place, the more her heart grew heavy.

Moving along with the crowd of children and teenagers, she caught a glimpse of Peeta in the hallway again. He shot her a small secretive smile as they passed by one another.

With an inward sigh, Katniss tried to make the best of her situation. At the very least, she had bright spots to contend with her shitty situation. Or rather, her shitty location.

Sliding into an empty table with Madge at her heels, she unpacked her paper bag. There was cold fish stew in a glass bottle and the berries for lunch today. With each day, her mother wore away the bitterness she had towards her. The consistency was helping.

Madge and her ate lunch together quietly. It looked like it was going to be a typical lunchtime fair until something different happened.

Delly Cartwright appeared with Peeta in tow. She smiled brilliantly at the two of them, "Hey! Can Peeta and I sit here?"

Katniss gulped down the last bit of her soup before wiping her mouth with her sleeve, "Umm...Sure?" She glanced over at Madge.

Madge shrugged swallowing down a bite of her sandwich, "I'm okay with it."

With a cheery bounce in her step, she pushed Peeta into sitting beside Katniss as she took a seat by Madge, "Thanks! My cousin, Daisy, was being atrocious today, and you guys always seemed nice."

Katniss almost drew back from that and instead reigned in her surprise. She didn't think she seemed that nice. Quiet sure, and even surly sometimes, but nice?

Peeta shot her a small smile as he nibbled on some stale cheese bread.

Her lips lifted up slightly as she nodded back at him. She was glad he looked more or less okay. Well physically at least.

As Delly chatted away with Madge, Katniss took in this new person.

Delly was slightly pasty-faced, kind of lumpy with yellowish hair, and deep dimples. Listening in on the conversation that washed over her, she found that Delly wasn't much like the pretty butterflies that gathered in the meadow but instead was kind of like a ladybug. Unassuming. Cute. Crushable.

She might also have been the friendliest person in all of District 12. Well, that Katniss had ever encountered so far. Her smiles were constantly beamed at everybody in school, even Katniss. And she knew that she didn't really deserve them. Not when Katniss tended to keep to herself, with her family and a select few as an exception.

Lunch tick tocked on, and Delly talked to everyone as if she'd met them at a family barbecue. In mere moments she delved into a kind of exchange that was kind and emotionally generous. It was strange and although Katniss appreciated it, she didn't know how to deal with Delly's genuine kindness.

Blessedly, that was the only surprise in her day so far. Once the bell rang to let them out, Katniss dashed out. Collecting Prim from the Primary side of the school, Katniss caught sight of Peeta waiting by the chain-link fence.

Prim caught sight of his blond head and grinned. Mischief sparkled in her eyes as she looped her arm around Katniss's, "I'm gonna head home first. I wanna play with the animals. Okay?"

Frowning slightly, Katniss shrugged, "Alright, little duck. Just be careful."

With a happy whoop, she jogged away, smiling over her shoulder, "Aren't I always?"

Peeta meandered over to Katniss, hands slung deep in his pockets, "Wanna walk together?" A flush brushed his cheeks, hesitation clear on his face.

Katniss rolled her eyes at him, a grin lifting her lips as she bumped his shoulder with hers, "Of course."

His shoulders relaxed as they matched strides, walking down a familiar path. The wind blew warm air through her braid as they languidly walked under the branches of tall trees towards the Seam. With her hands drawn to her back, she took large and small steps now and again, before broaching the topic that had been bothering her since last night.

Glancing at him from the corner of her eye, she cleared her throat, "Uhm... Ah.. So, how'd it go last night when you got home?"

Startled slightly from Katniss breaking the comfortable silence between them, Peeta tilted his head and paused his strides for a second before catching back up to Katniss, "Oh. It went okay. I was honestly expecting my mom to beat me with her rolling pin again, but when she caught sight of what I brought home... She got strangely quiet. After that, she only shot me a remark before leaving my dad and brothers to help put everything away."

"Oh. I'm glad. What'd she say."

A dark look shadowed his face for a second, before Peeta sullenly muttered, "Girl probably did all the work. At least you're good for something. Made a useful friend. Trash as she might be. End quote."

Katniss took a deep calming breath. Her hand darted out to catch his, forcing him to stop, "That's not true. You know that right. And you can do so much. And what do I care if she called me trash? ...You okay?"

Inwardly, she flinched. Did his mother really say that about her? Did she really rate Katniss over her own son? The pain that shone in Peeta's eyes, as much as he tried to hide it, proved that he wasn't lying.

Gently prying Katniss's hand off of his, he pulled on a strained smile, "No, but I'll bounce back. She's always doing stuff like this."

A frown scrunched her face, "Doesn't make it okay." It looked like the amulet worked against any physical danger, but it didn't cover everything else.

Slowly, they started walking again. Peeta shoved his hands into his pockets again, "Yeah. I know."

A beat of silence passed between them. Sunlight streamed through the canopy of leaves they passed by as they took the well-trodden dirt path through the Seam. Katniss breathed in the air and hummed, "So, how do you know Delly Cartwright?"

Peeta glanced at Katniss, tilting his head, before pursing his lips, "Oh. I've known Delly for forever. My dad and her dad were childhood friends and our families just stuck together after that. She's kind of like the little sister I wished I had. Mom behaves when she's at the bakery, so... That's a plus with knowing her." He shrugged, not really wanting to elaborate more.

Katniss's face folded into a grin, but before she could say anything someone bumped into her. Both Katniss and the lady that bumped into her stumbled. Catching herself before she fell, she whirled at the culprit. Before she could yell something insulting, she recognized who it was.

Her aunt Hazelle gingerly pulled herself up and gathered her laundry pail. Faded tear tracks stained her cheeks, her grey eyes bloodshot, "Oh! I'm sorry Katniss. I- I haven't been able to think quite straight lately."

Concern colored her face, "No. It's okay. I'm okay. Are you okay, aunt Hazelle?"

At Katniss acknowledging their family relation, Hazelle's lips trembled and her voice began to break as her woe spilled out, "Oh. No. No, no, no. Not at all. Posy's sick. I don't know if it's just a fever or maybe measles? The spots aren't there, but her fever's so hot. Ah. I can't watch her right now because of a client, and it's not like I can't take time off. Just leaving her with Vick... God. I'm sorry. I'll- We'll be fine. Visit soon, okay?"

Her aunt hurried away before she could reply, tears gathered in her eyes as she tried to suppress her despair. A child getting ill like that in the Seam, usually meant death. It wasn't a surprise that her aunt couldn't think of anything else.

Katniss stared after her fading form, a frown scrunching her forehead. Was there anything she could do? Her heart constricted. She didn't want to lose any more family in this life. How could she help fix this?

Peeta interrupted her brooding as he pulled her back along the path towards her house, "Is- Is everything okay?"

"Ah...Probably not," she bit her thumb, almost causing her to bleed. Staring at the ground, she spotted a good bunch of sticks. Trying to squash away her worry, she squatted down, "Hey, you wanna help me gather these branches?"

He stared down at her with a quirked brow. Shrugging he copied her position, "You know what? Sure. Can I ask why?"

Katniss chuckled, "You can always ask me whatever. I wanna gather fallen branches so I can make a chicken coop and a place for the goat and the mini cow that Prim has now."

A brilliant grin surges onto his face, his eyes dance, "Oh. That's neat. I'd love to help. How much do you think we need?" He was always happy to try to make Prim's day better. She was more of what he thought a little sister should be, in Peeta's opinion.

She looks left and right at the various branches scattered on the ground, "I dunno. A couple dozen? Probably a couple dozen."

Bonelessly shrugging, Peeta started gathering up branches in his arms, "Okay."

Katniss scratches at her head, sheepishly looking at him, "Don't worry it won't take long."

Peeta leaned down, judging whether or not this branch was good enough. Gently placing the branch in his arms, he shook his head, "Nah. I'm not worried. The bakery can function without me for a little bit. Rye's been really helpful with covering for me."

Katniss gathered branches with no rhyme or reason, "Yeah?"

He picked up another rather long branch to put into his bundle, "Mhmm."

Biting her lip, she paused in her ministrations, "Hey, do you think Rye would cover for you if you became my hunting, gathering and trading partner? If you- Yah know... Want to that is..."

Peeta blinked repeatedly before shaking himself out of his stupor. A wide grin pulled at his lips, dimple his cheeks, "Uhh- I'd love to be your partner. Don't know if he'd cover for me every day though..."

Katniss tapped her cheek with her forefinger, a thoughtful look awash on her face, "Well, we could always just do it on Sunday?"

Happily, Peeta nodded, "Yeah. That should work. Hey Katniss?"

She found a rather nice branch, distractedly she hummed, "Mhmm?"

He laughed, his head tilting back before he shook his head, "I'm glad we're friends."

Katniss brought her attention back to Peeta, "Me too... Me too, Peeta. Hey Peeta?"

"Yeah?" Peeta paused mid grab of a rather large branch by his feet.

She eyed his feet, squinting against the afternoon light, "Your shoelace is untied."

He glanced down at his shoe and scowled, "Dang it. I thought I double knotted both of them. Here. I gathered a bunch, just give me a second to tie my shoe." Gingerly handing Katniss over his bundle, Peeta squatted down to deal with his misbehaving shoelaces.

Katniss's eyes traced the branches in her arms while she silently counted them up, "Sure. And you know what? I think these should be enough. You gonna head all the way to my house with me or are we parting at the halfway mark?"

He raised a brow at her, "Psh. If you'll have me. I'd like to walk with you till the end. It's not like it's that far from my house."

Katniss bit back a grin as she stowed the branches into her leather satchel, "Mmkay. Thanks."

0=0=0=0=0=0

Days blurred by and Sunday came around again. Another day off. They decided between them that they would devote all of Sunday to stocking up for the week. Rising early, hunting and gathering, then trading at the Hob and at the Merchant market.

Having a partner again, eased Katniss's heart. It certainly also lightened the load, making the arduous task of filling her family's table enjoyable.

However, hunting wasn't as peaceful as she had hoped it would be.

As they visited familiar snares and made their way through the thickets of the forest, Peeta and Katniss encountered a dead rabbit. It was hanging by its neck on a thin wire a foot above their heads. And about fifteen yards away was another. And then another.

Katniss peered at the snares and frowned. She recognized the twitch-up snares because her father had used them often enough. When prey was caught, it's got yanked into the air out of the reach of other hungry animals. Only one other person could know this.

She turned and spotted a dark scruffy head of hair. It was her cousin Gale.

Katniss was less than a yard behind him when she heard Gale say, "So the townie thinks he's a hunter now?" The mocking tone didn't go unnoticed by the two children.

Peeta started but didn't turn back towards the Meadow. His fits clenched and relaxed. Clenched and relaxed. Katniss saw him give his head a slight shake before he took a deep calming breath.

It did nothing to soften the firm grimace that had formed onto his face, "No. I'm just me and everyone needs food in the districts. We're all starving and there's no divide in that."

Gale gave Peeta a once over, a strange look passed over his face before he shrugged, "Huh. More like a baby deer in the woods then. Still learning to pull your weight? In any case. Good luck, hunting should be good today. See you Catnip. See yah fawn." With expert hands, he loosens his loot before tramping further into the forest.

Katniss quietly strode up to stand beside her distraught friend. Peeta was subtly shaking, struggling to keep his temper in check.

His jaw clenched as he muttered, "I'm not helpless here. I can pull my own weight, right?"

"I mean... Maybe only a little bit in the woods. No offense, but who cares, you're still new at this. You'll get better with practice. You've shown that you can," Katniss gingerly patted his shoulder in an attempt at a consoling gesture.

Peeta shoulders sagged, much like a deflated balloon, and grunted, "I still care about that though. I mean, when so many people keep saying it..." He locked stormy blue eyes onto Katniss, hurt and anger shining brightly.

Katniss took a small step back, a frown made her lips pucker like a duck, "I don't say that. And don't mind my jerk of a cousin. He's just talking out of his ass." Irritation colored her voice despite her best efforts to hide it.

His expression softened into embarrassment, "I- I'm sorry."

Air escaped past his teeth in a hiss. He stared up at the canopy above them. Sunlight made patches of shadows splash above them here and there. Peeta took in another calming breath. He hated it when he got mad like this.

She stared at his frustrated face and pulled on an encouraging expression. Well, she tried to anyways. With a gentle grin, she prodded his shoulder, "You know what? Why don't we fish at the river? We can leave our poles there, reset some traps, and go gathering in the meadow. Have something nice for tonight."

Peeta glanced up at her, his eyes still shrouded by his hair. Blowing his hair away from his face, he slowly nodded, "Yeah. That sounds like a good plan."

The rest of their trip in the woods went well. The large predators that roamed the area largely ignored them. Today seemed like there were easier, tastier prey abound. Birds chirped, and the sounds of rustling wildlife surrounded them.

It didn't take them long to gather quite a bit of wild fruits and vegetables from the meadow. They stowed away bags and bags of greens and, best of all, a gallon of strawberries. Katniss's dad found the patch a few years ago, and tied string mesh nets around it to keep out the animals. Peeta even stumbled across a small grove of cherry trees. All in all, gathering today had been rather fruitful.

Winding back into the woods, they found that they'd managed to get a good haul from the traps. They managed to catch eight fat rabbits, six grooslings, two squirrels, a small wild boar, along with a beaver that swam into a wire contraption Katniss's dad designed himself. They'd be eating well this week.

As they gently plucked their prey and reset the traps, her mind wandered. When her father had been alive, he'd been something of a whiz with gathering food. Snares were one of his specialties. He'd rig them to bent saplings so they'd pull the kill out of the reach of predators, balanced logs on delicate stick triggers, and even wove inescapable baskets to capture fish.

Some of the snares were still there, very much intact. However, the fish baskets were getting worn and Katniss didn't quite have the hang of weaving to repair them. Inwardly, she knew she could never quite replicate his eye for balance or his instinct for where prey would cross the path. She swore it was more than experience. Something almost magical. It must have been a natural gift. Like the way, she could just shoot at an animal in almost complete darkness and still take it down with one arrow.

She was glad that she at least had his notes on it, just in case any of the snares broke. Taking a glance at a concentrating Peeta, she chewed on her lower lip. Katniss idly considered showing Peeta her father's notes. He had a steady hand and had proven to have been capable of making delicate things. Maybe snares wouldn't be too different?

Swinging by back to the river, she'd found that there were fish abound in the river today. After an hour, between the two children, a dozen fish were safely stowed away in her bag.

With the sun still bleeding heat into the sky despite the waning time, they both decided that they still had time to do a bit of trading at the Hob and Merchant market before going home.

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AN: Thank you to everyone that stuck with this and read, favorited, followed, and/or reviewed this story. And to those that reviewed, a quintuple thank you to the people that left reviews. You guys really help me get the motivation to keep writing this. If anyone has any questions or comments, drop a review and I'll answer it in the next chapter.

Luthien Faye: Thank you so much! I'm glad you loved it so far. The real reasons as to why his uncle is gone will be revealed later on in the story. Oh, he's certainly crossed off more than one ever since gaining Katniss as a friend.

His current bucket list at age 12 is, in order of importance,:

Marry Katniss Everdeen

Have children

Have a bakery

Cook in a beautiful kitchen

Bake whatever he wants for an entire day

Paint and draw with real art supplies

Visit the ocean

Go to bed without being hungry

Visit a different district

TwinK21: I'm happy that you enjoyed the last chapter. c: Her mom is ever so slowly coming around, but the magic is kind of startling to see. His mom will get karmaed, but it'll take a little while. We'll definitely get to see more of his dad and brothers soon. The possibility of Mrs. Everdeen and Mr. Mellark of becoming friends again is pretty high considering how close Katniss and Peeta are getting.

8goose8: Thank you! c:

Guest A: Thank you! c:

SpellSlaughterWithoutLaughter: I'm really happy that you like it. I don't plan on giving up on this story, so rest assured. c:

Guest B: Thank you! I'm glad you loved the previous chapter. I really hope you liked this one too. There will definitely be more updates for this story. I've already completed the outlines for the next couple of chapters. So fingers crossed, my muse doesn't decide to leave me yet.


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